True Mates
by No pen names left
Summary: Every Alpha dreams of finding their True Mate, the other half of their soul. Derek knows his chances of finding his is one in a million and refuses to dwell in a fantasy world of hope. It's just his luck that his True Mate practically runs him down one day as he tries to escape from the City Police.
1. How I Met the Alpha

How I Met the Alpha

Stiles peered from under his vantage point beneath the cascading leaves and flowering vines that covered the low lying wall with its fragrant scent. Shifting his position carefully along the top of the old stone wall he moved slowly so as not to alert any observant eyes to his presence. Not that anyone was looking.

The day was bright, the sky a glorious blue that drew people out to attend the last day of the Jubilee fair. The grounds were packed with bustling people trying to get the best deals from vendors urgently trying to make their last sale of the day. Crowds shifted and flowed like currents in a river as people, from the well-kept lackeys striding haughtily to the unclaimed who scurried, eyes downcast to the dirt at their feet, to keep out of the way of their betters. People of all types swirled amidst the multitude of tents and carts. There were even a few True Wolves among the colorful kiosks, their fluid movements giving lie to their human appearance.

Most of the tents and buildings proudly flew pack colors; the prevalent flag among the many was the gold wolf courant upon a field of dark blue. The proud flag of the Hale Pack who controlled most of the city and by default all the humans who lived within its borders flew in some form from every tent and cart at the fair. Everyone was eager to show their loyalty during the Jubilee Fair and the show of colors had grown more garnish as the month wore on. Many of the Claimed, humans belonging to a pack, had started dressing in Pack colors and gold wolf jewelry had become the must have item this season.

The inner section of the fair was filled with the well off, those that belonged to pack but beyond the colorful tents, past an unmarked border that seemed to be etched in the ground, was where the omegas settled to do business.

The grey tattered tents of the omegas created a wavering ring along the outside of the main fair. There were a few humans that approached these carts, their own threadbare clothing showing that they were unclaimed, and the lowest of the low. The omegas bartered haughtily with each human, their eyes flashing with distain. They might be the bottom of the wolf pecking order but even a lowly omega was better than an unclaimed human.

Stiles eyed one such cart, its contents filled with an array of small discolored fruit surly the leavings of the more well to do packs; the unwanted for the unwanted. He watched as a group of unclaimed bargained for a basket full of fruit. A few dollars exchanged hands and the humans scurried away. Stiles rubbed his money between the thin folds of his pocket; four pennies and a button, not enough for even the saddest of the fruit on the omega's cart.

While the unclaimed had a slight chance of finding a decent job, an under aged, undocumented unclaimed had no chance at all. He pushed him palm against his stomach to fight against the gnawing pain of hunger as his mouth continued to water at the sight of the food so temptingly close. Being caught would, at best, get him sent back to the pack run home for orphans and Stiles would rather go hungry than return to that nightmare.

The pack orphanages for humans were little better than a kennel and the children were treated as no more than cheap labor. He had spent three years of his life in one until four months ago. The food had been awful, the beds a travesty, and the dorm rooms packed with the press of unwashed, frightened children. Stiles hated it but his last straw had been when he was beaten for organizing the younger kids into an off key retention of 'Food, Glorious Food'. Who had thought a bunch of lowly claimed would be so offended by an Oliver Twist production? Though it might have been more about the Hale Pack's yearly inspection than the singing performance.

Maybe the unusual detail paid to the boys' bathing habits and the supply of new clothing should have tipped Stiles off that something important was happening. The fact that there was real food on the tables and not the slurry they were normally served should have screamed that he was supposed to be on his best behavior. He had missed all the warnings but the look on Mrs. Argent's face as she stood behind the laughing alpha, **that** warning he received loud and clear.

Before the dark car had even left the gates of the orphanage, Stiles was being dragged to the basement for punishment. Three days later they let him back out making sure that all the others saw and understood the consequences of disobedience.

His back was a tangle of cuts ranging from shallow lines to deep ragged wounds that seeped and dried to his clothing. The boys in his dorm horded salt that they added to buckets of rain water, pouring the contents over him at night to try to keep the infection at bay. Fever and a fractured ankle didn't excuse Stiles from his workload and he found himself having to be carried by the other boys out to the yard. Each of his dorm mates did a little extra so that Stiles' quota would be filled; he had done that himself in the past, each boy taking turns protecting the weak and sick. You never knew when it would be your turn, when you would need to be carried.

While his back and ankle healed Stiles planned and plotted. Sharp eyes soon spotted the weak connection on the back fence and after a couple of days working at the links there was a gap large enough for a skinny boy to slide through. No one tried to talk him out of his escape plan but neither did they offer to join him on the run.

Once his ankle was able to support his weight as he worked all day, his back covered with the slowly flaking scabs and angry scars of the whip, Stiles made his escape. With nothing but the ragged clothes on his back and a few horded slices of stale bread, Stiles burrowed under the wobbly chain link fence and ran away, never looking back.

It hadn't been so bad at first. Sleeping under the open sky was an adventure, the view of the bright stars bringing back memories of camping trips with his parents, of a time before the crash that left him alone in a world that had little care for one lone human.

It was a Jubilee Year and the Wolves had been more than generous, throwing concerts and outdoor events on a weekly basis to celebrate the fourteenth year of their ascendance. Yeah, the human race was now just glorified slaves but hey, there was free music and our bellies were full so who the fuck cared. The massive amount of food thrown wastefully into trash cans had filled Stiles' belly completely for the first time in three years.

But the Jubilee was coming to a close and fall was just around the corner which meant that finding enough scraps to keep his belly full was becoming impossible. The last week had been lean, his meals few and far between. So when the apple equivalent to the runt of the litter fell off the table and rolled to his feet, Stiles didn't even hesitate. Leaning down he snatched off the ground and took a bite before even thinking. He knew, with the first juicy crunch, that he was in trouble.

"You going to pay for that boy?" The owner of the cart was a burly wolf with close set eyes and a cruel turn to his lips. Stiles had watched him take advantage of the unclaimed humans for the past half hour and knew that there was little mercy lurking behind his bilge water brown eyes. Taking in the human boy's scruffy appearance the fruit seller jumped to a logical yet damning conclusion. "Thief!"

Dodging out of range of sausage sized grabbing fingers Stiles ran down the winding path away from the crowds and head long into the quickly responding Pack security. They were just claimed betas, humans deemed worthy enough to be turned and offered a place within the pack, but they were more than a match for a skinny boy.

The two men grabbed Stiles as he tried to twist out of their way. One managed to get a handful of the loose fabric at the shoulder of his long sleeved shirt and started to reel Stiles closer. Dropping to the ground, his body slack and arms raised overhead, Stiles left his shirt dangling in the clawed grip of the beta as he turned, ducked under a pastry cart and over the vine covered half wall that circled the market. City traffic roared its dominance as he darted across four lanes of screeching cars, running from the Wolves.

Chest tight with panic, the apple that started it all long forgotten in the dust, Stiles ran down the crowded city streets. Wolves had little tolerance for law breakers. The first offense was a public beating. The second...well, no human really knew because the person stupid enough to have a second offense was never seen again. Stiles knew he was screwed. Even if he could manage to get out of direct line of sight with the Wolves they had his scent, thanks to his shirt he had left behind, and would be able to track him through the city streets.

He careened into a group of girls, scattering their shopping bags, and then bounced off an older couple walking hand in hand as they took up most of the sidewalk for their afternoon stroll. The cries of alarm and anger that trailed behind him alerted the Wolves further down the sidewalk. Flickers of blue and amber eyes turned his direction and Stiles' chances of escaping narrowed to a slim impossibility.

Desperate he put on a burst of speed looking over his shoulder at the gaining betas as he turned another corner, too distracted by the looks of fury to bother to look where he was going.

He slammed into the Wolf with enough force to knock the air out of his lungs but it seemed to have almost no effect on the dark haired Alpha. Strong arms wrapped around him to keep him from falling backwards, pressing him to a chest that seemed to be made of granite. Stiles' eyes met the widening red tinted gaze of the Wolf for a split second before the realization of how deep the shit he had stepped in really was and he pulled away from his hold.

"Oh, Shit. You're an alpha!" Backing away Stiles managed to trip over his own two feet, slamming ass first into the side walk just as the two betas turned the corner, grabbing him on either side before he could manage to regain his feet.

AN: For once I am posting a story that is almost completely written instead of my usual WIP. I will update on Sundays.

Please leave a review! Keeps my fingers happily tapping away at the keyboard.


	2. How I Met my True Mate

AN: OH MY GOD! REVIEWS! So many reviews. I have this urge to print them all out, throw them on my bed, and roll around in them. And yes, I totally admit that I am a dork. I will take complete ownership of my dork-ness. I think I will have T-Shirts made that say **D**elightfully **O**riginal **R**esourceful and **K**ooky. Yep, I'm a dork.

And thank you. Thank you for taking the time to review and making me do my little happy dance of joy whenever my I pad pinged. My friends thank you too for the laughs they have shared because of me having, as one put it, a review orgasm.

How I Met My True Mate

At the ripe age of twenty four, Derek Hale was in a state of complete despair. As the youngest Alpha in his family, not to mention the state, he was watched, hounded, and nagged at every turn of his life. The newest 'drive Derek insane' plan his family had concocted was his need to find and take a mate.

His lunch with his older sister had been unbearably blunt on the subject. Of course his sister was blunt on all subjects.

"It's not forever Derek. We aren't asking you to Mark them, just take a mate. Write up a five year contract or even a one year deal. You know that as an alpha you need the anchor of a mate to help you. The Pack can't have you losing control."

Derek felt himself flushing. He had been struggling more and more the last few months with his control, his temper was explosive on his good days and those were becoming few and far between.

"I don't want a contract mate. If I'm going to bind myself to someone I want..." Derek paused, trying to put emotions into words, something he had never been competent in doing.

"You're waiting for your True Mate. Do you know how rare that is? Alphas spend years looking; throw millions of dollars chasing the dream of their true mate." Laura reached across the table in an aborted attempt to touch Derek's hand but the younger wolf pulled away before their hands could meet.

"Dad found Mom." Derek crossed his arms, then realizing how defensive it made him look, uncrossed them and tried to let them fall naturally and comfortably into his lap. The knowledge that he was not fooling his sister and most likely looked like an idiot caused him to scowl. The furrowed brow and slight reddening of his eyes sent a nervous twinge through his waiter before the young human hurried back to the safety of the kitchen.

If Laura noticed she had the decency to keep her smile to herself. "I know and that makes facing reality so much harder. Don't you think I know how you feel? Being raised in the land of 'happily ever after' kind of screws up real life for you. But just because they're not your true mate doesn't mean it can't be love. Look at Max and I, he's not my true mate but I can't see loving him anymore if he was. You need to stop being such a romantic."

Derek snorted lifting his lip slightly to show fang to his know it all big sister. "I'm not a romantic. It's not like I am sitting around waiting for my true mate to just fall into my lap. Just because I'm not ready to tie myself to some human doesn't mean I'm holding out for a fucking Disney ending."

Loosing what little patience he had Derek stood, the force of his rising knocking over the chair and overturning the glasses on the table. Tossing an assortment of bills on the table, not even bothering to look at the denominations knowing there was more than enough to cover the bill and sooth the ruffles of the servers who fluttered nervously nearby ready to right the mess he had created, he stormed away leaving his speechless sister in his wake.

After a block Derek let his hurried steps slow as he mulled over his family's demands on his personal life. Logically he knew they just wanted what was best for him. The last year had been a struggle, his control over his shifts becoming more erratic and his temper explosive even with his family and friends.

Having a mate would sooth many of his problems; ease the tension of holding it together on his own with their presence. But he didn't want a short term contract; he wanted something that would last. Deep down he knew he was waiting for love but he also knew that he lived in the real world. Hell, he wasn't a cub. He knew his chances of finding a True Mate were astronomical. They didn't fall from the sky trailing rainbows out their ass.

But in Derek' crazy life they did apparently come flying into his arms as he turned the corner leading back to his apartment.

The first thing he noticed was his eyes. Brown but not; they shimmered with an inner light, a honey colored richness that glowed from their depths. They were lined with thick lashes, long enough to be the envy of any girl. An up turned nose over inviting lips completed his look of childlike innocence. The human's body was slim under his hands, almost boney. There was less than an inch difference between their heights but the human possessed a gainliness that spoke of growth spurts to come.

And inside Derek's soul his Wolf howled, claiming his True Mate as his own for all time, until his death and beyond.

Finding the other piece of your soul, having it bind itself to you in a blazing second that seems to fill your body up with light to the point of overflow, trailing streamers of perfection and joy down the sides was almost indescribable. If forced to Derek would have said it was just this side of hurting like hell, it was too much. Now he knew what his Dad really meant when he told the story about how seeing his mother for the first time was like being hit by a two by four.

By the time the after images of light had cleared from his vision his Mate was being dragged violently up off the sidewalk by a pair of betas. Their clawed hands gouging bloody holes into his arms as the boy scrambled to get his feet under him.

"Oh my God. It was a little bruised apple. It would have been thrown in the trash. You can't seriously want to waste your time arresting me for a half rotten piece of fruit."

"Be still you little piece of shit," snarled the larger of the two, twisting the boy's arm back so that his back arched to attempt to relieve the pain.

Kicking wildly, the boy managed to catch the smaller one high in the groin as he swung his legs outward and then twisted back in hopes of breaking their grip. Clutching his wounded pride the beta dropped the human's arm. Rotating to escape the seconds grasp, the boy only managed to turn right into a blow that drove him to the ground at the alpha's feet.

The boy blinked rapidly, letting his head drop forward with a little shake as if trying to clear his vision of the stars a punch like that must have caused. Derek could smell the fear and panic rising from the young human forcing his need as an alpha to protect into overdrive.

"Enough." Derek growled, eyes flashing the glowing neon red of an unmated alpha. Immediately the betas backed away lowering eyes and tilting their necks in submission. On the ground, body bracketed by the legs of an enraged alpha, the young human curled into a ball of desperate fear.

Derek stepped forward, straddling the human with his defensive stance. Glancing down he got his first good look at his future mate. His pale skin, dotted haphazardly with small freckles, was stretched over a body made up mostly of sharp angled bones. His shoulders stood out above a bumpy stretch of ribs that were evident without a shirt for cover. Hipbones jutted out over the top of pants that had long since been a proper fit for the boy.

Stooping down, one knee resting on the cold concert by the boy's back while his foot remained on his other side, trapping the human beneath him, under his protection. Derek let his hand trail down the pale skin noting the scars that lay like silver vines along his back. Seeing the damage made it impossible for him to hold in the growl that sent the betas stumbling back another few steps and the human to curl into a tighter ball.

"Just make it fast. Just make it fast," was the desperately mumbled prayer from the boy, whispered in a high frantic voice that made Derek's heart clinch. From the way he curled his body, trying to protect his head and stomach; it was evident that he had been beaten before.

"Shhhh. Not going to hurt you." Raising his eyes from curled form he turned his attention to the betas. They were both members of the fair security, low level betas with only the thin blue band of the city to distinguish them from an omega. "What did he do?"

"Stealing sir. From the Farmers Market in the park." The two betas shifted, eyes downward, under the angry gaze of the much younger alpha.

"He can only be prosecuted if official charges are brought against him. Bring me his accuser. I'll be at the Gibbous around the corner." Standing Derek pulled a mostly limp human after him and returned to the cafe where his sister was still finishing her meal.

Smelling her younger brother coming back up the side walk, Laura's first thought was that he had felt embarrassed by his outburst and come back to apologize. "It's about time you started acting your age Derek. You can't storm out on me like a teenager anymore." The older sister patronizing smile fell from her lips as she turned to see the young human Derek was half dragging behind him. "What the hell is that?"

"My Mate."


	3. Lunch with Laura

AN: WOW! Thank you so much for all the reviews. They really mean so much to me and I do read and respond to every one.

I've set this story up to basically bounce back and forth between Derek and Stiles' POV. Each chapter is from one or the other. I hope you enjoy it and continue to read (and leave review ).

Lunch with Laura

Stiles lay on the hard concrete with his jaw aching from the glancing blow he received from the beta. Seeing the deadly flash of red from the alpha's eyes, the same alpha that he had plowed into, Stiles pulled himself into the tightest knot he could manage, trying to protect his vulnerable parts. That fiery red was a sure sign of the inevitable beating to come. Maybe if he was lucky the betas would drag him off to jail before the unmated alpha had a chance to do too much damage.

How was it his luck that he would run head on into what was most likely the only unmated alpha in the city? Alphas were the pinnacle of strength within the werewolf society but the unmated were known to be temperamental, their control unstable on the best of days.

It was almost unheard of for an unmated alpha to be walking alone on the streets. Without the anchor of a mate they tended to be unstable and violent when provoked. Families of young alphas never let them roam unattended surrounding their precious royalty with specially trained betas to keep them calm or, in worse case scenarios, keep the body count to a minimum.

No one in their right mind wanted to annoy an unmated alpha and Stiles was sure that running head long into one was a good way of provoking an undesirable reaction from the werewolf elite.

The cement was cool under his shoulder and the little heat he had left in his thin frame from the run was quickly sapped from his body causing him to shiver. Stiles closed his eyes as the alpha's shadow fell over him, the large male kneeling over his prone body, sure that his time on this earth was over. Curling tighter into a ball beneath the wolf Stiles prayed that it would end quickly, painlessly.

Stiles could only manage to breathe in short panicked pants making it impossible to do more than whimper slightly and plead as the alpha reached out and stroked his bare back.

"Shhhh. Not going to hurt you," the alpha soothed running his hands lightly over the flesh of his back. The unexpected kindness of the touch made Stiles go limp beneath the alpha's gentle touch. Strong blunt fingers found the ridges of his scars and the rumbled growl that followed had him curling into a protective ball again.

The voice that thundered over his head, making him shiver with fear, was directed at the betas. Stiles knew they were talking about him but between the calming circles the alpha was tracing on his back and the stars and sparkles he still saw as after images in his brain from the punch he couldn't seem to follow what was being said. The cold that was seeping into his bones, filling his brain with static, made his ability to process any information impossible.

The angry conversation flowed overhead as he concentrated on the warmth of the alpha's touch. The panic in his chest lessened by small degrees which made his body jerk in response as he forced himself to remember that it was an unmated alpha stroking him. Dropping his guard could get him killed and no matter how safe his body felt Stiles knew that the danger was far from over.

The rising crescendo of anger from the alpha above him had the betas cowering in fear. From his position trapped between the alpha's legs he could still see the terror on their faces. The dark curl of anger that he kept tucked deep inside felt that it was about time they had a taste of their own medicine, to know how it felt to be so very afraid.

Stiles continued to lay passively on the sidewalk as the betas hurried away, the heat from each stroke of the alpha flowing up his body, working its way deep inside to fill an emptiness that he never even knew he possessed. He flinched slightly as the wolf withdrew his hand and stood up, missing the touch as soon as it was gone.

Strong hands gripped his arms just below his shoulders and pulled him to his feet. Stiles leaned against a wall of warm granite that was masquerading as a chest for a second, completely lost in a whirl of new sensations. The soft huffs of breath tickled his neck as the alpha allowed him to rest against him before gently guiding him down the sidewalk.

Stiles found himself stumbling as the adrenaline fueling his body gave way to exhaustion and the alpha wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him tight up against his body, half carrying him to a small café down the street.

As they neared the café, a dark haired women who was slightly older than the alpha pulling him down the sidewalk and obviously a mated by the flash of darker red in her eye, looked over her shoulder at the strange sight that was approaching the table.

Her eyes widened with surprise as the male pushed Stiles into a chair, wrapping him in his jacket before taking a seat himself. Stiles' brain was still filled with the strange hiss of mental static and he watched the wolves' mouths move as they talked to each other, their hands punctuating the air for emphasis. The jacket draped over his shoulders still had the warmth of the alpha permeating it as well as the scent of the older man who was sitting close enough to his side that their knees brushed.

Stiles let his nose drop to the fabric allowing the scent envelope him. It smelled of old growth forests, sunshine, and strangely enough cinnamon. The exhaustion that he had been fighting caught him all at once, the shock of the day making him light headed and weak, and he listed to one side. Immediately he was carefully pulled up right by the alpha's arms as they circled his shoulders tugging at him until he was resting fully against the warmth of the wolf.

The world wavered and then came into sharp focus. Stiles' ears seemed to pop and suddenly the conversation taking place around him started to reach his rattled brain.

"How in the hell can he be your mate? Derek, you haven't even been gone five minutes." The long haired alpha stared at the younger man in shock, her eyes flashing between a light hazel and the burgundy of a mated alpha.

Derek shrugged causing his white linen shirt to tighten over his chest and back. He looked sheepishly from under his lashes at, what Stiles thought, must be his sister. "He just is Laura. It's like every cell in my body is calling out for him."

Laura sighed and smiled softly in Stiles' direction as if to calm a frightened animal. "He looks half starved. Do you even know how old he is?" Stiles stiffened and twisted in his chair at her scrutiny, dropping his eyes in submission and fear.

Both wolves reacted as the scent of his fear intensified. Derek moved closer trying to sooth and protect with the press of his body as Laura leaned back, keeping he movements slow to calm the panicked human.

"Where did you find him?" Laura's voice was barely above a whisper. She watched Stiles from the corner of her eye.

"He was running away from some betas from Fair Security. I gathered he was caught doing something illegal. I will fix it." With slow movements, as if he were dealing with a wild animal prone to flight, the alpha reached over the stroked the back of Stiles' hand where it was clinched on the arm rest. "Hey," Derek nudged the curve of Stiles' thumb and finger to get his attention. "I will fix it. You don't need to worry. Okay?"

Stiles found himself staring into hazel green eyes even though years of training told him never to look directly at a werewolf because it was a sign of aggression as well as a show of dominance. Torn between the need to run, to put as much distance between himself in the danger that seemed to lurk in his future, and the desire to curl up in Derek's lap and never leave, Stiles settled for letting his free hand cover the alpha's and slowly trace the tendons and blood vessels that were just visible beneath his golden skin.

Stiles had to swallow twice before he managed to whisper, "okay."


	4. Lunch with Stiles

AN: I am just amazed at the response I have had for this story. Thank you so much. For once I am not only on track with my updates but ahead chapter wise so you can keep expecting an update on Wednesdays and Sundays. I answer all comments and reviews so if you have any question please feel free to send me a PM. Thanks again!

Lunch with Stiles

He watched as his Mate shifted nervously in his chair, the half glances toward his sister showed his nervousness in the presence of an alpha. But he drawn out looks toward his mate from beneath long lashes and the unconscious way he rubbed his fingers along the back of Derek's arm revealed that the human was feeling the bond between them as well. Derek let the happiness bubbling in his chest show with a warm smile as he took a deep breath filled with the scent of Mate overlain with his own from the jacket he had wrapped around the males thin frame.

Laura texted furiously on her phone from the other side of the table her fingers a blur on the small keyboard. Derek refused to get upset with the knowledge that his entire family and most likely the state would know he had found a mate by the end of the day. Instead he let his focus remain on his Mate. God, he loved the sound, Mate, his Mate.

Beneath the layer of dirt was an expanse of pale skin with a light scattering of dark freckles that left an appealing pattern against the whiteness. His hair was hacked short, spiky and uneven, making the angles of his cheekbones more prevalent. Long fingers with blunt nails shifted constantly between stroking the fabric of the jacket and playing gently with his lower lip. Derek found his eyes drawn to those lips, fantasizing about the moment that it would be his fingers caressing and memorizing their shape.

Derek's study of the young human came to an end as the two betas returned with the cart owner in tow. The omega was large and slovenly, the reason for his packless status obvious to the alpha's eyes: lazy, petty, and most likely dishonest.

"That's the boy! He's a thief. Stole my hard earned money straight from the till of my cart, the little bastard." Derek's eyes widened at the blatant lie coming from the omegas mouth. He let his lip curl and his fangs to drop into view as he prepared to tear the worthless cur into pieces for slandering his Mate.

"I didn't steal your money. It was an apple, just one small bruised apple that fell off your stupid cart." The human jumped to his feet defending himself against the charges with his face blushing red with anger.

"See? The little shit even admits he's a thief." The omega made the mistake of reaching out to grab Derek's Mate, twisting his arm to pull him in closer.

Snarling Derek lunged forward, his obvious rage forcing the omega to release the human and drop to a submissive kneel on the sidewalk flanked by the two betas. His Mate stumbled backwards and into the protective circle of Derek's arms.

The omega's act of submission did nothing to halt the anger that raged in Derek especially at the smell of blood rising to the surface of his Mate's skin as the scent of the bruise that was just starting to form reached his nose. His growl deepened filling the small café with the sound of his fury.

His attention was targeted on the omega cowering at his feet until Laura snapped, "Derek, your scaring your mate."

The human was hunched within his hold, head down and eyes closed. Cupping the back of his neck Derek pulled him closer to his chest attempting to ease away the fear he could now smell wafting from his Mate.

"Only a fool would lie to a wolf," Laura said softly from her seat, having done no more than turn her chair slightly during the confrontation. "I don't even have the vocabulary to express the mountainous level of shear idiocy required to attempt to lie to not just one alpha but two." Her voice remained level but even Derek felt the outward push of her power and restrained anger.

"Maybe my brother will be gracious enough to forgive your lying tongue and not rip it from your worthless mouth if you would accept his payment of the misappropriated apple and agree not to press charges against the boy."

Derek didn't even wait for the omegas reply. Reaching into his wallet he pulled out a hundred and tossed it to the ground in front of the cringing wolf.

"It was all just a misunderstanding. Poor boy must not have noticed it came from my cart. Of course I won't press charges. Thank you, alphas." Snatching the bill in his thick fingers the omega bowed and scraped his way backwards babbling constantly his apologies for the inconvenience he had caused.

Once the betas and the lone omega were out of sight both alphas turned their full attention back to the human who sank into the chair as if hiding from their gaze.

There was silence at the table; Derek staring at his new mate while Laura watched from her seat across from them, the thin human twisting further into his chair under the combined attention of the two alphas. The silence was so thick it was almost hard to breath.

"I'm Laura Hale and this is my brother Derek." The human seemed to pull himself in even tighter at the name Hale and the scent of fear intensified. Responding to his distress Derek pulled their chairs closer together until their knees touched.

"Are you claimed? Do you have a pack that we should contact?" Derek asked, trying to keep his voice calming. His mate shook his head, a quick, jerky motion.

"Do you have a job? Work documents?" Laura had her phone back out ready to locate his employer so that the transfer of documentation could happen as soon as they had the human's work number but another jerky head shake stilled her hand. "Where are you staying?" The frightened glance made the human suddenly look years younger. Derek growled as the smell of fear rose in a thickening cloud around his mate.

"Where are you staying?" Derek reached out to touch his mate's chin. There was no answer except for a helpless shrug.

"Sweetie, how old are you?"

"Seventeen." The human whispered.

"Shit!" Derek and Laura snarled at the same time causing the human to scoot backwards in fear.

Derek caught his mate's chair as it tilted back precariously as Laura fumbled around in her large purse finally pulling out a small scanner device. Without explanation she reached across the table and grabbed the human's right arm, running the scanner over his inner wrist while ignoring her brother's warning growl with a fang tipped smile. "I'm not hurting your mate, Derek, but we need to find out who he is."

The device let out a high pitched beep and Laura read the scrolling information out loud. "Stilinski. Gemin Stilinski. Or is it pronounced Jemin? Gamin?"

"Stiles. I like to be called Stiles."

"Okay Stiles. It says here that you are seventeen and you birthday is in a little over six weeks. Your parents were killed a few years back. Who are you living with? How are you not in a pack home?" Neither Laura nor Derek missed the flinch at that question as Stiles sank further into the chair.

"Okay, I need to make some calls to figure out what we need to do at this point. I'll be right back." Gathering her purse and phone Laura stepped inside to call for reinforcements.

Derek watched his sister enter the café smelling the unease in her scent. At twenty four Derek was the youngest full alpha on record but a seventeen year old Mate was unheard of and would cause quite a scandal. Sighing he turned back to his Mate in time to see him shove a handful of cellophane wrapped crackers into his frayed pockets.

A dark blush travels up Stiles' features once he notices the alpha caught him in the act of pilfering crackers. He cowered when Derek moved, shoulders pulled in tight in anticipation of an angry blow. Instead Derek pushed the basket closer, opening and handing a cracker to the young man.

"You hungry?" Derek felt like an idiot the moment the words left his mouth. Of course Stiles was hungry. Amber brown eyes briefly met his own green for a split second before dropping back down to the table, darting between Derek's half eaten meal still on the plate in front of him and the basket of crackers.

"Yes sir." Derek smiled at the hint of attitude in his Mate's voice. His mother had always held her own against his father. An alpha needed a strong Mate.

"Okay, let's get you something to eat." Derek barely finished his sentence before Stiles was pulling his plate over and attacking the food. "Not that!" Derek started to pull the plate away but stopped as Stiles violently flinched back.

"Hey, it's okay. I just meant did you want to get something off the menu. Something fresh?"

Blushing once again Stiles pushed the plate away from him and nodded. Waving a waiter over Derek quickly ordered a soup and sandwich, handing the man a large bill to help speed the order along. Turning back to his embarrassed Mate Derek opened another packet of crackers for him. Stiles took them quickly but made a show of breaking them in half and chewing slowly.

The food came out a few minutes later and Derek watched as Stiles tried to eat politely but the bites were too big, the chewing just this side of frantic, and Stiles never took his hand off the sandwich even when spooning the warm soup into his mouth.

His Mate's eyes remained on him, never looking at his face but keeping his hands and body in line of sight at all times. Derek let one arm rest on the back of Stiles' chair allowing his thumb to rub gently against the back of the human's neck. After the first startled reaction, Stiles leaned into each stroke, head tilting toward the alpha in encouragement.

The sandwich was gone and Stiles was scrapping the last bit of soup from his bowl when Laura returned. She flopped into her seat with an aggravated huff. "He's not on any registry. It's like he dropped off the face of the earth when his parents were killed. I can't believe he's been on the streets for almost four years."

Derek noticed the look of shock on Stiles' face and made a note to ask him about it at his first opportunity. Most of Stiles' reactions to him were fear based, the flinching and submissive glances, but underneath it all was the trust that the bond was forging between the two of them. Derek knew that if pushed now Stiles wouldn't have the trust in him to feel like he could answer truthfully but if given a couple of days, once the bond was stronger, he hoped his Mate would be more willing to share his tale.

From the way Laura was shifting in her seat, Derek knew that she was about to give him some bad news. "Tell me," he rumbled.

"Derek, he's seventeen. I know it's hard but you can't Mark him until he is of age. No matter what happens the media is going to go crazy with this story but we need to keep it as civil as possible. I've called the HPS and they will take care of him until he is eighteen. It's only a little over six weeks. You can visit him and get to know him. It's not like you are losing him." Laura soothed Derek as his eyes flashed brighter and brighter.

Derek was having trouble keeping his wolf under control. The thought of losing his Mate even for a short period of time tearing his control away. The rising scent of panic from his Mate made it even harder to keep from shifting, scooping his Mate into the safety of his arms, and bolting for his apartment.

Stiles had paled his breathing uneven and shallow as he looked at Derek with a mixture of fear and pleading. He started to visibly shake as a large black car with the Human Protective Services logo painted on its side pulled up to the café.

Reaching over Laura placed a calming hand on Stiles. "You are going to be okay. The HPS will take you to the Hale Pack House for Orphans where they will keep you safe. There is no reason for you to be out on the streets."

"I'm not going back there." Pulling away from Laura and leaping to his feet Stiles all but growled out, "I'm never going back there again." Derek and Laura stood slowly and approached Stiles murmuring calming words as they reached out for him.

A man in a dark blue suit exited the HPS car. "Boy, stop right there," he commanded.

His demand had the opposite effect on Stiles. The young human turned, twisting under Derek's grasp and leapt the small fence that separated the outdoor part of the café from the sidewalk.

Darting around two overly helpful betas who tried to stop his escape, Stiles ran straight into the oncoming traffic bouncing off the front grill of a taxi that screeched to a halt just seconds too late to miss hitting the human.

Stiles was knocked backwards several feet before tumbling down, his head striking the asphalt, to lay motionless in the middle of the street.


	5. Heading to the Pack House

The world slowly blurred into focus as if coming out of a long dark tunnel. Looking around Stiles could see dozens of people streaming around him their movements sluggish and jerky as if they were running in slow motion.

His head hurt and boy was that an understatement. The skin around his crown seemed to crackle, the nerve endings sending up a fireworks worth of agony. Reaching tentatively he touched the edges of the sorest area. It was like stabbing himself with a burning knife, the pain was indescribable and he jerked his hand back down to stare at his blood coated fingers.

Noises from the street and surrounding areas registered in choppy bursts like the sounds he used to make as he talked into a fan as a child. He couldn't make out words but could almost feel the underlining panic that filled the air.

Pulling himself to a sitting position he took a stunned look at the street before him. The sounds that had been muffled came back with a 'pop' and Stiles winced as his ear drums almost burst with the sound of horns blaring and the echo of screams.

Directly in front of him, backed by the billowing smoke coming from what was left of a bright yellow taxi, stood Derek Hale. At least Stiles was pretty sure it was Derek. The creature looming before him was at least seven feet in height. His fur was an inky black that glowed with blue highlights and eyes that blazed with the neon red of an un-mated, un-anchored alpha.

A huge chunk of twisted yellow metal was held in one clawed hand. From the shredded hood of the taxi, Stiles deduced that the cab had somehow offended Derek and was now paying the price. While he watched Derek reached inside the vehicle and ripped out part of the engine tossing it to the ground where it lodged itself a half foot deep in the street.

"Derek you need to calm down." Laura spoke in composed tones, her voice even and soft in the face of the shear rage that Derek was displaying. Behind her cowered the taxi driver curled into a fetal ball at her feet. "I need you to shift back Derek."

Her eyes desperately latched on to Stiles as he sat up, weaving back and forth slightly as the world around him tilted and spun. The relief was evident on her features and in the slight release of the tension in her shoulders.

"Look, Derek! He's okay. Derek, your Mate needs you. I can smell the blood on him. You need to help your Mate Derek." Stiles had a split second to imagine Laura with a huge dog playing 'get the ball' before the enraged alpha turned his full attention to him. Damn, in the real life version HE was the ball.

If Stiles could have figured out how to work his legs he would have run.

Derek stood in the center of the street, head and shoulders twisted back to look at him, for what seemed an eternity to Stiles. Muscles shifted beneath thick fur as the wolf turned the rest of the way around, sniffing the air and eyeing the blood covered hand Stiles still held numbly before him.

A metallic clang rang out in the sudden silences as Derek dropped the hunk of taxi hood to the ground and started moving toward Stiles. After the third step taken by the giant wolf, red eyed, claw tipped, and scary enough to make Hell itself scream and flick its skirt around its dainty cloven hooves, Stiles' self-preservation mechanism kicked in and he tried to scoot away.

Wobbly elbows collapsed after just a few seconds of his mad scramble backwards. Heels scrapping along the rough surface of the street propelled him along as Stiles guided himself on increasingly bloody palms.

The agonizing light show as he hit his head on tail pipe of a mini-van quickly ended his frantic crab walk. Rolling to his stomach Stiles was half way under the van when his ankle was caught in the unforgiving grip of the alpha. Stiles kicked and thrashed to no avail as Derek pulled him out from under the van.

At Derek's growl Stiles let his body go completely limp, allowing Derek to pull him out and flip him over on his back. You don't fight an alpha when he's enraged. Common wisdom stated that your best chance of surviving was to act as submissive as possible and hope they pass you by for more worthy targets. Unfortunately, Stiles was pretty sure he was the only target Derek was interested in.

Dropping his head back and arching his back to expose as much of his throat as possible Stiles prayed that Derek had enough control to realize that he was supposed to be his Mate. Derek continued to pull Stiles forward by the leg, back and elbows grating painfully against the black asphalt of the road, until he was completely beneath the protective cover of the alphas huge form.

Sliding a gentle but claw tipped hand behind Stiles'neck, Derek lifted and pulled his Mate against his chest, fingers checking the back of his head to see the extent of the damage. Stiles let out a small whine of pain as Derek's claws gazed the sore edges of his swollen and cut scalp. Derek stilled and then tucked him deeper into his chest, curling his body around him.

Nose pressed to the surprisingly soft fur of the alpha, Stiles inhaled the scent that surrounded him. It was a rich scent, earthy and strong but not unpleasant in the least. Stiles found himself breathing it in threw his nose and releasing his breath in a long slow exhale threw his mouth.

The pain that racked his body just moments before bled away leaving him relaxed and calm in the alphas arms. Closing his eyes Stiles burrowed deeper into the wolf's chest, letting his fingers card through the thick fur and cling.

Derek shifted his weight, scooping Stiles up into his arms and carrying him to the safety of the café where Laura commanded a team of frightened waiters like a drill sergeant.

"You need to let me see him Derek. I can't check his wounds if you won't let me touch him." A low menacing growl rumbled from Derek's chest when Laura mentions touching Stiles but he slowly released his grip, lowering his Mate to the chair.

Waiters appeared, as if by magic, with bowls of warm water and arms full of towels. Laura gently wiped away the blood from Stiles scalp while Derek snapped and snarled at any who came too close.

At Stiles' pained hiss Derek turned and lunged toward Laura, his blunt muzzle pressing against the line of her neck. Stiles could only hold his breath in horror as Laura reached out and pushed her brother's muzzle away from her jugular with an annoyed huff.

"I'm not hurting him on purpose but I need to see how bad his wounds are. They look fairly superficial but I need to clean them to make sure." It was a testament to the love between the siblings that Laura could touch Stiles at all with Derek wolfed out. Stiles knew that if anyone else had dared touch they would have been killed outright.

"I think this cut in his scalp will require stitches and we really need to get him checked to make sure he doesn't have a concussion but the rest of it is just scrapes and minor cuts. Some salve and Band-Aids and he will be good as new." Derek almost purred in response, a deep pleased rumble that made Stiles' chest vibrate.

It was at that moment, when Stiles was feeling safe for the first time since his parents had been killed, that the City Police arrived. The City Pack betas were large, intimidating, and one of Stiles' greatest fears. For the last few months Stiles had lived in constant fear of these betas. They could easily make an unclaimed, undocumented human such as himself disappear without a trace and no one would even question their actions.

Stiles couldn't help the rush of cold fear that flooded his veins. Hearing the increase in his Mate's heart beat Derek turned and roared a challenge to the betas who immediately dropped to their knees in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Enough," snarled Laura, her own eyes finally flashing the deep burgundy of a mated alpha. "You need to calm down. We need to let HPS take him so that they can treat his wounds. You aren't doing either one of you any good by losing control like this."

Laura continued to coax and sooth Derek as the City Police took statements and cleared the traffic. One of the braver slowly approached the alphas, head down and tilted.

"Alphas, when you have time we need to ask you just a few questions." At Derek's growl the beta backed quickly away.

"Derek we need to give statements and Stiles obviously doesn't want to be near them. Why don't you let the HPS take him, get him fixed up and settled into his new home and then you can visit him tonight after we get all this soothed out?"

Derek grudgingly let Laura tug the unresisting human out of his embrace. With Stiles braced between the two of them Laura and the HPS agent guided him to the car. Woozy and disoriented Stiles let himself be directed to the back of the car before snapping back. But it was too late. The door was closed and locked. Stiles could only stare out the back window as Derek was left behind.

Stiles watched until the wolf was completely out of his sight. Sighing he sunk into the seat, mentally preparing himself for the return to the Pack House.


	6. Leaving the Pack House

The imposing black car drove Stiles straight to the Pack House for Orphans. The building was situated on the outskirts of town and housed all the city's human children that had the misfortune of losing their parents. The Pack, in print and in front of the media, made a show of the lavish care they doted on the children under their protection but Stiles had lived four years of his life behind the Pack House walls and knew what awaited him.

Only human children were sent to Pack Homes. Any child of wolf parents would be immediately taken in by the rest of the pack. Pack was family and all members were cared for with the same fierce protection. Stiles, the only child of a couple with no living family, was sometimes envious of the werewolves' easy acceptance of their orphans. Life would have been so much better if some human family had taken him into their home.

Wrought iron gates with the wolf courant blazoned across the front opened slowly as the car approached. The driver and HPS officer were obviously human because they paid no attention to the panicked increase in Stiles' heart rate. The drive curved to the front of a stately building with an intricate play area on the side behind a small half fence. A dozen adorable moppets played on the slides and swings in plain sight of anyone who came up the drive.

The HPS officer leaned over and pointed out the sight to Stiles. "See? There is nothing to be afraid of here. The Hale Pack House has been run by the Argents for years and they have one of the highest ratings in the country. Laura Hale visits the site once a year to make sure all the children are properly cared for."

Stiles bit his lip and kept his mouth closed. The cute were well cared for here, paraded out to show and pet like pure bred dogs at Westminster. But the gangly and plain, or in Stiles' case the ADD, were kept out of sight, living a completely different life under the Argents' care.

The car pulled to a smooth halt in front of the grand entrance to the reception center. Stiles knew that this was just the public façade that the Home presented to the outside world. The front walkway was clean and open, warm and welcoming, it was a complete lie.

The HPS officer pointed out the many photos of happy, smiling children that lined the walls. Each picture showed a different bright eyed tike at various activities; the circus, the zoo, a famous museum. Stiles remembers the zoo trip, he wasn't allowed to go because he was not appealing enough to be in the pictures and had been left behind.

The head mistress met them before they were even half way across the room. She had brazenly red hair and was wearing a stylishly cut dress, heels, and perfect make up and accessories. Her smile was bright and friendly but Stiles knew better from experience. "Director, what can I do for you?"

"Mrs. Argent. Thank you for seeing me on such short notice. I have a rather unusual case. This young man here is the True Mate of Derek Hale but he does not reach his majority for another six weeks. His family was killed in a car wreck and he has been living on his own for the last four years. The Hales need to avoid any impropriety in this matter with the media so we felt it best that he stays here until he is of age for Derek to claim as his True Mate and Mark."

Victoria Argent smiled and nodded at all the right places, even managing to look concerned at one point but the glares she sent Stiles when the director wasn't looking were enough to make his blood run cold.

"I am so happy that we can help in this matter. Please come this way."

"I think I would be fine staying with the Hales." Stiles backed toward the door but Victoria grabbed him by the hand, her friendly open smile hiding the strength of her grip that twisted the fragile bones of his hand.

"Don't be silly dear; we wouldn't want to cause the Hales' any problems." Victoria linked her arm around Stiles' and tugged him toward the back of the large, brightly lit room. To the casual observer the linked arms would look caring but Stiles knew the danger he was in, could feel the threat in the way her nails dug into his flesh just shy of drawing blood.

The director of the HPS kept up a steady stream of babble as he followed Victoria. "I don't know how he's stayed on the streets for so long. Laura Hale is not happy. If there is one lost child out on the streets there could be more. How did he slip through the cracks? He never should have been on his own."

Victoria made agreeing noises all the while her eye bore into Stiles'. "It's such a tragedy that so many humans still fear the Weres. I've heard other stories of children raised by parents in fear that have tried to live on the streets but Stiles is the first I've ever met. I'm sure once we get him settled he will see how much better it is in a Home than out on the streets."

Stiles snorted under his breath but was too terrified of the red head to speak.

"Let me get Stiles back to the infirmary so that our doctors can look over him. Thank you so much for bringing him Director. I'm sure you have plenty of work to do, I would hate to take up more of your precious time."

The director preened under her praise and Stiles rolled his eyes at the sheer stupidity of the man, thinking that Victoria's ego stroking should be evident to even the densest of men.

"I'll come along for just a bit longer. I'm sure Alpha Hale will be asking about the young man's health and I want to be able to assure him that I saw to his treatment with my own eyes. Unmated alphas are unpredictable and having found his True Mate yet being unable to complete the Claim will make speaking with him difficult."

Victoria smiled. Stiles couldn't help but compare it to the wide, razor tipped tooth filled grin of a great white shark, complete with the mental sound track. Shark grin firmly in place Victoria lead the two past the public area that Stiles was vaguely familiar with to a back area that he never even knew existed.

The Home clinic was clearly another public PR area. Stiles had a few scars whose inexpert stitching proved that he had never been in this state of the art medical facility.

A small curly haired girl was resting on a cot with a warm, motherly looking nurse holding her hand. If not for the fear Stiles could plainly see in her blue eyes, it would have looked like the perfect example of what a clinic should be; clean, well lit, and caring. Too bad it was all just for show.

A second smiling nurse in a crisp white outfit hurried to great Victoria, taking possession of Stiles and helping him over to another cot, treating his cuts and scrapes while the doctor talked to the director.

"Mr. Director, it was so kind of you to bring this young man all the way back. It is so refreshing to see officials such as yourself taking an interest in the lives of our unfortunate. I'm Doctor Merran and I will be in charge of this young man's care."

Victoria Argent rested her hand on the director's arm. "You can trust us to take good care of him. Poor dear." Turning back she smiled at Stiles but her eyes were cold.

Slipping her arm around the director she led him back out of the clinic. "We need to get all the paperwork you have on the poor dear. I want to make his short stay here with us as comfortable as possible."

As soon as the director was out of the room the demeanor of the nurses and doctor changed. Pushing Stiles back on the cot the doctor pulled out a pair of cuffs and chained him to the low railing on the bottom of the frame. "Mr. Argent will be in to see you in just a moment." The doctor left without looking back.

"Back to your room Molly." The not so motherly nurse snarled as she pulled the girl off her cot and shoved her toward the back door. "Make sure you stay clean in case we need you again today."

Both nurses followed the doctor out the back of the clinic leaving Stiles chained to the cot in the middle of the room. Stiles wasted little time. His father had been a sheriff and he had spent many hours unbeknownst to his dad playing with the handcuffs. You don't spend that much time playing with handcuffs without learning a trick or two.

By the time Gerard Argent strode into the clinic Stiles had his hand free but had yet to make his escape. "Shit," whispered Stiles as he wished for just a couple of minutes more.

"Stiles," Gerard oozed. "So good to see you again." He kept his hand in his pocket; body turned as if to hide something from Stiles' sight but Stiles had survived in this hell hole for over three years and knew that children who had personal meeting with the House supervisor were rarely seen again.

"I can't have you talking to your mate about us here. Those animals tend to believe their mates about anything and I can't have you bringing the Hales' attention down on us, now can I? It is a shame that we don't have time to condition you properly. You could have been an asset to us. Oh, well. Spilt milk and all that."

"I think my dying while under your care would bring their attention down a lot faster than anything I could say to them.

"Oh, it will be a rough couple of weeks. Too bad for Nurse Kelly that some heads will have to roll. Such a shame we didn't know about your allergies before administering those antibiotics. The nurse should have been watching you more closely. Victoria and I will be so distraught, I'll even offer to resign but knowing that mewing Laura she won't hold me accountable for someone else's mistake, especially when they find the items planted in her belongings."

"God, you just love to hear yourself talk, don't you? I thought only comic book super villains fucking monologued like that."

Gerard looked annoyed for an instant before his face smoothed back to his gentle grandpa expression. "Just passing the time Stiles. Any last words?" He pulled a long needled syringe out of his pocket and turned to face Stiles.

"Yeah, I hate shots." Stiles kicked with everything he had, hitting the old man under the chin and bolting from the clinic and out toward the front entrance. He slammed into a startled Victoria, knocking her to the ground before charging out the front door and down the drive.

The iron gates at the front had already closed but there was enough room for a skinny kid to slither under if they didn't mind losing a bit of skin and Stiles knew that a few more cuts and scrapes were better than ending up in a shallow grave. Stiles ran until he could duck into the thin cover of the trees that lined the road, heading for the river that ran alongside the freeway for a few miles. He knew that crossing it would cover his tracks making it harder for the Argents to follow him.

This whole day had been a crap fest and it was all just a shit load of trouble for an apple he thought as he took one last look at the orphanage he left behind again.

AN: Special thanks to courseofhonour for catching all the tense mistakes I tend to make. Past…present…future…maybe I'm a TimeLord.


	7. The Aftermath of Finding Your True Mate

The Aftermath of Finding your True Mate

Derek watched as his mate was taken away in the back of the large black car. Laura's hand, buried in the fur of his bicep, was all that kept him from running after him and dragging him back. Every instinct howled to keep him close, claim him, protect him, Mark him and mate him.

"Derek, I need you to shift back."

Panting, Derek focused on his sister's voice letting her calm cadence bring him down. His fur was just starting to roll back to smooth skin, claws blunting down to human normal when the City's Second arrived with questions he demanded be answered.

"Alpha Hale, I am sorry to disturb you but I am trying to follow up on the human that caused the commotion today. Am I correct in my understanding that he was found to be underage and sent to the Pack Home? While it is kind of you to take such interest in an unclaimed boy, I need to send some betas over to pick him up for questioning. There have been some Human's First threats and it would be best if we had time to question him so we can gather more information about this attack." The Second's voice was arrogant and cold.

"Attack?" Derek growled as his fur erupted down his spine, lunging to his feet to tower over the beta. "There was no attack. He was frightened and ran into the street. A taxi hit him and could have killed him. Killed my mate."

At the first hint of Derek's roar the waiters fled in every direction as the table Derek was standing beside suddenly became air born with a flick of his wrist only to come crashing down inches from the City's Second.

"Damn it you arrogant fuck. I just had him calmed down. I will be speaking to the Mayor about your incompetence in this matter. That was his True Mate. There was no attack. Did you even stop to listen to the reports of your betas?"

"My apologies Alpha Hale. I was not informed. Sorry to have bothered you at this delicate time." With a simpering bow the City's Second made his escape, had he been in wolf form his tail would surely be tucked between his legs, getting back into his unmarked car and driving away, leaving his betas to clean up the mess.

"We should have just taken him home with us. There is no way that Stiles living at Hale Manor could be any worse than this disaster. You need to stop that story about there being an attack before it gets out to the public, Laura."

"I will Derek but you need to shift back."

Derek's reply was cut off by the arrival of a silver van with blue Hale flags flying. Four impeccable dressed wolves exited the van and immediately started with damage control.

"Alpha Hale," the driver bowed shallowly from the waist to both Derek and Laura before focusing completely on the older Alpha. "If you would be kind enough to fill me in on today's event so that I can start combating any negative aspects with the media."

Derek listened with half an ear as Laura explained again how her brother had just found his True Mate and that the young boy was still underage. The wolf slowly slipped back allowing Derek to reclaim his human form as Laura recounted the panic of his mate and his escape directly into oncoming traffic.

Derek couldn't help but feel he was mostly to blame for Stiles' accident. It was an alpha's job to protect his mate and he had failed miserably within the first few minutes of meeting the young man.

While Laura and the grey suited wolf discussed ways of spinning the story in the best interests of the Hale Pack, Derek watched the others as they cleaned up the mess his carelessness had caused. Had he been paying more attention to his Mate's growing anxiety he could have stopped him before he managed to run into the street.

By the time Laura's media plan had been fleshed out the café owner had been paid off as well as bonuses promised for all the servers working that day. The taxi driver had been given a small white card engraved with dark grey lettering with the instructions to call for the reimbursement of his taxi, any health and hospital needs, and a large sum to cover any pain and suffering that was caused by the day's event.

"Day's events," snorted Derek under his breath. Only in his luck could what should be the most important day of his life be turned into such a giant clusterfuck.

The PR wolves finished almost in perfect synchronization, marred only by the last wolf adding an extra veiled threat to the taxi driver before turning to join the rest on the way back to the van. "Please be advised that causing harm to a True Mate is a crime that holds the most severe punishments. Should any law suits against the Hales be brought out in court we will be sure to file a counter suit for endangering a Mate."

The sudden paling of the driver's face showed that he understood exactly what that threat entailed.

With a last internal sigh at the trouble he caused, Derek allowed himself to be herded by Laura and the suited wolves into the van. The police cleared the way in seconds and they were headed for home before Laura even had time to hand him the extra clothes all Pack vans carried for such an emergency.

"I'm worried about him Laura. He was so afraid of the idea of the Pack House. I feel that I am letting him down somehow by not being by his side. I can't protect him, I can't keep him safe."

The spectrum change in his vision warned Derek that his control was slipping once again. The small van did nothing to contain his pheromones and the driver sped up along the road wanting to unload the agitated alpha as soon as possible.

"Losing it isn't going to help him Derek. You need to keep it together until we can talk to mom and dad. Let's see what they think you should do about your new mate."

Derek tried. He concentrated on his breathing techniques and counting the beats of his heart but all he could see in his mind's eye was that last vision of Stiles, his pale face etched with terror as he looked out the back of the window toward Derek.

They reached the Hale Mansion too late to save the upholstery from the lengthening claws that evaded Derek's attempt at control. Flashing the betas an apologetic smile Laura all but dragged her younger brother into the house.

"It's all wrong Laura. Did you see his face? He was terrified of going to the Hale House. How am I going to gain his trust if my first action as his mate is to send him away to a place that clearly scares him?"

The spectrum shifted again for Derek, tinting the world in reds and oranges, as he lost control of his shift again. "He's MY MATE. He doesn't belong in an orphanage, he belongs with ME." The last word ends in a whine of pain keened through his elongated muzzle.

Laura snarled, lunging forward to grab her brother, eyes flashing red as she slammed him against the wall on the opposite side of the entry hall. Derek thrashed under her grip, his pain filled call echoing until the house was filled with the sounds of his distress. "Calm the fuck down Derek."

"Laura, such language. I have raised you better than that." A blond human with striking hazel green eyes walked into the room. At the sound of her voice both alphas ceased their struggles and turned toward her.

"Sorry mother. Derek's having trouble."

Hurrying over Derek's mother embraced her son, letting him curl his larger form around her as she stroked the black fur that covered his body. "What's happened?"

"I've found my True Mate mother. I've found him."

"Honey, that's wonderful!" Her face took on a radiant smile for a moment before falling into a worried frown. "Is he mated to another? We can buy out any short term contracts. Any alpha will understand and step out of the way."

"He's not contracted," Laura jumped in to explain. "He's an under-aged orphan that has been living on the streets since his family died. He panicked when I called in the HPS and ran out into the street. He was clipped by a passing car and Derek lost it right in the middle of afternoon traffic."

"Where is he now?"

"She sent him to the Pack House. He was so scared of it and still she insisted that he needed to go there." Derek's eyes flashed with anger as he growled at his sister.

"They can take care of him there. They have a state of the art medical facility and take the utmost care of their charges. I visit every year Derek; there is no place in the city that would be better equipped for dealing with him than the Pack House."

"HERE would have been the best place for him. If you are so worried about the impropriety of the whole thing I could just stay in my apartment until Stiles is old enough to complete the Mating."

"No matter where you stayed, the media would have a field day with a seventeen year old living here."

"I don't care, "Derek howled. "He's human and fragile and I need to be able to protect him."

His mother's soft huff pulled Derek's attention away from his sister. "We humans are not as fragile as you think Derek. I have lived with wolves for almost thirty years. Because we do not heal with your speed does not make us weak or fragile. You would be wise to remember that if you want your relationship with this young man to be a happy one."

"I would listen to your mother, Derek. She has always known best about these things." Turning Derek's mothers face lit up. Entering the door way was a tall, broad shouldered alpha. His features were almost identical to Derek's except for the silver in his hair and the pewter grey color of his eyes.

"You're home early dear." With a graceful stride that hid her speed, the blond moved to her husband's side, resting her hand against his arm.

"Yes, well, Derek and his True Mate have made the evening news. I have already been contacted by half the First Alphas in the country to congratulate me on the wonderful news, though many of them are rather obvious in their amusement with Derek's public display today."

Derek felt the heat rise in his face and wished for a second that he had just stayed in his alpha wolf form. "I'm sorry Dad."

"It's okay. The public is eating the whole thing up. They're turning it into a Cinderella love story."

Laura's wild crack of laughter made Derek cringe. "God, I'm never living this down."

"You ARE living a Disney tale. Oh My God – You're Prince Charming with an extra helping of brood and foul temper."

"Shut up Laura." Derek was caught between worry for his mate and the joy of having one. With so many conflicting emotions to choose from he settled for the easiest: pissed. Big sisters are good at that.

"Son, I am so happy for you." Derek was pulled into his father's embrace while Laura gleefully retold the story of how Derek "ran into Stiles".

"Only you could be run over by your True Mate," she giggled as the staff brought out Champagne so that the family could toast to Derek's good fortune.

Derek had just taken his first sip when his father's phone rang. His head snapped up at the mention of his mate's name and then his blood drained from his features.

"What?" His mother pulled tightly on him forcing him to face her. "Derek, what has happened?"

"Stiles. He's gone."

Gerard Argent hung up the phone, slowly unwinding the wires and pulling away the clamps that attached the small device to his chest. Once it was all wrapped up and placed back into a small satchel all that was left were two small metal nubs implanted in the skin of his chest.

Victoria looked on with displeasure. "Using the pacemaker at your age is very dangerous. You should have let me make the call."

"Your concern is touching dear but with dealing with a mess of this magnitude it had to be me bringing the news to the Hales. They have to be convinced that we are as devastated by the events as they are."

Nodding the red head paced back and forth across the large office. "We need to find the boy before they do. Everything we have worked for, every sacrifice we have made will be for nothing if he manages to tell them."

"We'll find him Victoria. We'll find him and end him."


	8. Aftermath of Losing Your True Mate

The Aftermath of Losing your True Mate

Derek listened from his old childhood room at the top of the stairs as his mother and Laura discussed wedding plans. Or tried to discuss wedding plans while debating if it was too crass to go on with Laura's life while his own was falling apart.

It had been six weeks. Six weeks since he found his True Mate, to have that moment of sheer joy and belonging, only to have it ripped from him. The pain of his loss gnawed at him and Derek focused on his mother's voice in an effort to keep his growing despair at bay.

Laura and their mother were in the entry way surrounded by the ebb and flow of decorators and the hordes of people needed to pull off a big wedding. The scents of outsider made Derek's wolf growl at the invasion of his territory. He found it was easier to keep control if he stayed upstairs where the scents of family were the strongest.

"I think we should put off the wedding again mother. I just don't see how it is right for me to be starting a new life while Derek is still looking for Stiles."

"I know Honey. You're a good sister for feeling that way but the truth is that we could find Stiles tonight or next year. That is something we have no control over and putting your life on hold won't make the search come to a close any faster. You are only hurting yourself and the man you love. Derek wouldn't want that."

Derek pulled the covers over his head. He didn't want Laura to put her own happiness on hold because of him. But at the same time he didn't want to be around the happiness, to watch them cuddle and neck while half his soul had gone missing.

He had such fleeting memories of the young human who was his mate. The color of his eyes as the afternoon sun struck them, turning them to liquid amber, the feel of his skin as he touched him, so soft and warm. The scars that marred his mate's back and the gauntness of his body also laid heavily in Derek's memories. What could have happened that was so horrible that the boy would flee instead of staying in the safety of the Pack House?

The slight creak of the front door and the addition of fresh, winter scented air, to the manor alerted Derek to a new arrival. As usually he perked up, listening in hopes that this time, this arrival would bring news of Stiles. Derek focused his hearing and held on to his slowly shredding hope.

"Hi Babe." The soft voice and the renewed scent of human dashed Derek's hope of news on Stiles. It was Laura's soon-to-be Claimed Mate. Their love story had been the fodder for almost two years' worth of trashy magazines and gossip rags.

Even from the second floor Derek could smell the increase in pheromones from both his sister and her fiancé. Snorting and sneezing he rubbed the scent away from his face and buried his head under a pillow. It blocked most of the scent but not their conversation.

"Max." His sister always sounded so out of breath when Max walked into the room. It was as if she had found a perfect moment of clarity when looking at the man she loved. Derek had always wondered at that until the second he laid eyes on Stiles.

"Max, be a dear and explain to Laura that postponing the wedding will not make the search for Stiles go any faster. She wants to put her whole life on hold, your whole life on hold, in an attempt to protect Derek."

"'Nessa, I know you want what is best for both your children but if Laura wants to wait, I'll wait. I would put my life on hold for eternity if it would make her happy." Derek rolled his eyes. He wanted to be annoyed at what sounded like such sap coming from the human's mouth but his heartbeat, audible even at the top of the stair, let him know that Max was completely sincere.

Damn!

He wasn't going to ruin his sister's happiness. "Fuck it Laura. Marry the man before I chew my leg off to get away from all the love sick crap I'm having to put up with. There only needs to be one heartsick wolf in this damn house." Derek didn't even raise his voice knowing that his sister and no one else would be able to hear him.

"Okay," Derek could hear the tears in her voice. "I guess we have put it off long enough. Let's not hold off anymore, okay Max."

The silence followed by his mother's little sigh of happiness was Derek's cue to take a shower in hopes of drowning out his sister's make out session downstairs. The hot water could mask the sounds and smells of his sister and her love but it couldn't keep out the memories of that awful night.

_He was the happiest he ever remembered being in his life. His father and mother hugged him close and he could feel their joy in him finding his True Mate. Even Laura smelt of warm honey, the aroma she always gave off during happy times. The Champagne had been brought out and poured and the family was toasting to his future happiness when his dad's phone rang. _

_With a family of werewolves there was no such thing as a private phone call except for his mother who still considered it rude to eavesdrop on other people's private conversations._

"_Alpha Hale." All the humor bled out of his father's face even as Derek felt the blood leaving his own. _

"_What's happened?" hissed his mother clutching Laura's arm._

"_I don't know. Something has happened to Stiles."_

"_Alpha Hale, I regret to inform you that young Stiles has run away. He had mentioned a couple of times to my daughter-in-law that he was scared but aside for the need to reassure the young man she had no idea that he would take off from the safety of the Hale Pack House."_

"_What happened?" Derek growled as he moved down the table to take the phone from his father's hand._

"_He had a panic attack. Just a minor attack but we took him back to the clinic to keep a better eye on his heart rate and blood pressure. The nurse stepped out to consult with the doctor and when she returned he was gone."_

"_We need to notify the police, get people out there looking for him." Derek's heart felt as if it were imploding within his chest. _

"_Yes Alpha Hale, we have already sent out search parties and alerted the authorities but we thought it would be best to keep the search limited to humans. He has such an overwhelming fear of your kind that I think sending betas after him would just drive him farther away. I would hate for him to become hurt while panicking."_

_The idea of Stiles being hurt drove the wolf to the forefront and it was all Derek could do to not smash the phone as he shifted with the sudden surge of emotions. His father lifted the phone gently out of his clawed hand._

"_We understand Mr. Argent. Please send out as many parties as needed to find my son's mate. We will spare no expense in having him safely returned."_

_Derek listened as his father finalized the plans to search for his mate over the phone while his mother held his curled body close, petting his dark fur to sooth him much like he had done for his mate earlier that day._

"_Derek, son, I will do everything in my power to find him for you but Mr. Argent is correct. If his fear of Werewolves is so great that he would run like he did tonight then sending betas after him will just make it worse. We don't want him to feel hunted."_

"_I should have never let him go," whispered Derek as his tears stained his mother's silk skirt. "I should have never let him go."_

Derek's claws ripped through the tile in the shower as the memory of his mate's frightened eyes as he was driven away in the back of the HPS car tore through his mind. An alpha's job was to protect and he had failed consistently in that from the moment Stiles had come into his life.

Derek had found himself less and less in control of his wolf to the point where he had willingly moved back home with his parents. Even among family and pack he found it hard to keep it together, to keep his wolf from erupting in a mass of raw fury and pain. His control, which had once been great, was completely gone.

Lost in memories and despair over his dwindling control, Derek didn't even hear the beta that walked up the stairs for a better view of the decorations that were being hung inside the great hall.

Smelling non-pack so close to his den Derek snapped. With his roar still echoing down the stairs he pinned the trespassing beta to the far wall, claws digging into his shoulders as his teeth snapped at the exposed throat that the beta was barely able to keep him from tearing out.

Alerted by the high pitched whines and cries for help, Derek's father and Laura rushed up the stairs to pull Derek off the cowering beta. Fueled with pain Derek turned on his own father, slashing with tooth and claw. The older male, slower with age but his experience making up for any weakness, tossed his son up and over his shoulder so that Laura could restrain him on the floor.

The beta fled as soon as the coast was clear, running straight out the front door and never looking back. For long minutes it took both Laura and her father to hold down the struggling Derek.

With a gasp it all stopped. "God, I'm sorry dad, I'm so sorry. Did I hurt him? Please tell me I didn't hurt him." Laura pulled her baby brother close holding him tight as he shifted back to human form. "I'm losing it Laura. My control is slipping. The more I try to hold on to it the more it seeps away."

Laura cried silently into her brother's hair. "What are we going to do dad? He can't keep living this way."

Her father's look of anguish chilled her to the bone. "When a true mate dies that alpha usually pines away. It's not something that is talked about."

Laura made a disbelieving noise as her mom joined her in soothing Derek. "There is always a dark side to a fairy tale ending." Her mother had tears in her eyes as she looked down at her only son. "True mates are rare and sometimes I think it's nature's way of protecting us. Becoming the other half of someone is more wonderful than you can imagine but it doesn't come without a cost."

"What's going to happen to him if we don't find the boy?" Laura asked.

Derek's parents just looked at each other. His voice muffled from where he is pressed to Laura's side, Derek replied with the truth he had known for weeks now, "I'll die."


	9. Seventeen and Counting

Seventeen and counting

Baker Springs was a small state park, so small it barely rated the sign along the highway that pointed out its location. It had been created with the more urban wolves in mind, a place they could go to run and howl at the full moon. Unfortunately it had never really gained popularity and remained mostly unknown except for a few smaller packs that liked to keep it their own personal secret hunting grounds.

Stiles' discovery of Baker Springs had been a moment of shear good luck, something he was starting to think he would never have. Human thugs hired by the Argents had tracked him through town. Desperate to lose them and still weak from his accident he had ducked inside the slightly ajar cargo door of a small vendor truck, hiding behind the boxes of chips and candy bars.

He could hear the two talking as they passed by the truck and then left, voices drifting off in the distance. With a clang the door shut, locking Stiles within the darkness. At first he didn't worry knowing that at the next stop he would be able to escape but the ride took longer than expected.

By the time the door opened again Stiles was wound to the point of a panic attack, holding on to his control by mere shreds. The door rolled open letting the sunlight and the smell of pines circulate through the small bay. Holding still until the vendor unloaded the boxes was the hardest thing he had tried to do in the longest time.

Once the vendor was out of hearing range and sight as well, Stiles jumped out and made a run for it, disappearing into the sparsely wooded area where he hid until long after the truck pulled away.

There were plenty of small cabins. Each was about fourteen foot squared; enough room to comfortable fit a family at night. The cabins were screened on three sides by dark mesh that made it hard to see in but allowed one to still enjoy the view from inside. They were neat and clean and, best of all easy to break into. Running a small nail between the space between door and arch, Stiles was able to quickly jimmy the lock and let himself into the cabin, curling into a corner as his body succumb to its need to shiver and shake.

With only the werewolf's jacket to keep him warm Stiles fell into an uneasy sleep woken only by the sounds of crickets and other nocturnal animals during the darkness of night. His head felt stuffed, his throat dry, and the skin on his body seemed prickly as if he was suffering from a sun burn.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Stiles knew he was really sick but that part of him was far away, lost behind the cottony pressure and the fevered weakness of his body. The fear of dying in this shabby cabin was but a whisper among the cacophony of aches and pains with which his body screamed.

He did manage to pull himself away from where he was sleeping to throw up, losing what remained of lunch on the wooden flooring. Stiles was vaguely aware of the passing of time, the cabin became lighter with sunbeams tracing his outline on the floor and then back to dark before he was finally able to pull himself up on shaking legs and exit the cabin.

Following the curve of the road until he found the public restrooms Stiles sent a word of thanks to whoever looked after lost humans and helped himself to a long, almost warm shower. A bar of misshapen soap had been left behind and he was able to scrub away the dirt and filth that caked his thin body.

The water burned when it touched his healing cuts, forcing the dried blood down his body in dark rivulets that pooled and swirled a murky brown at his feet. His palms, elbows, and backs of his arms burned as the water ran over partly healed skin but Stiles bit his lower lip and soaped everything until he was squeaky clean.

He dried himself off with a SpongeBob towel that had been left behind and pulled on his dirty jeans and Derek's jacket. Feeling a little bit better, Stiles gathered up his belongs including the soap and the towel and went to explore his surroundings.

The cabins were in a loose circle with restrooms on either end. The nicer, obviously more desired cabins were next to a winding stream that could be heard trickling in the distance. Following a meandering path Stiles found the shallow stream to be charming; large flat boulders were spaced so that one could jump, stepping stone like, from one side of the stream to the other. Some places were deep enough to swim if the weather was warmer while others were just right for playful splashing. Easing himself down on one of the larger rocks, Stiles allowed himself a moment to imagine what it would be like to visit this place with family, with someone he loved.

Images of his mother and father were hazy, their features blurring with time but then his brain shifted to Derek. The alpha's strong jaw and amazing eyes were all but seared into Stiles mind and the image of the powerful werewolf splashing in the shallows made him smile.

Shaking off visions of things he could never have, Stiles made his way back up the path and further along the shaded road. His steps slowed as he heard voices up ahead. Moving with caution he watched as a family packed up and prepared to leave. Three children ran and tumbled while their parents finished packing the last of their supplies. The sudden switch between two legged running and a four legged lope identified the family as Born Wolves immediately.

The sharp honk of the horn had the three tumbling into the car and soon after the family pulled away. Stiles waited until he could no longer hear the engine of the vehicle and then counted to one hundred, twice. Mostly sure that they were long gone Stiles ventured into the campsite and found the mother lode.

The entire remains of their cooler had been dumped into the trash can, the meats and cheeses wrapped in plastic and still surrounded by ice. The bread was slightly crushed by the weight of the half bottle of soda but smashed bread was still bread in Stiles' opinion. Gathering everything into his towel Stiles hurried back to his side of the campsite, where he jimmied another cabin open and moved in.

The next few weeks were bountiful for Stiles. The small park had only two rangers that looked after the upkeep of the park, a young wolf and a human female. Lucky for Stiles the human seemed to do most of the checking on the campsites in his area so he didn't have to fear being found out by his scent. The two had a regular pattern and it was easy to avoid detection.

The park wasn't busy. On weekends there might be four or five families of wolves visiting but the rest of the week was quiet. At the end of Sunday, when all the wolves had packed up and left, Stiles would raid their campsites helping himself to the enormous amount of food that the wolves just threw away. The amount of trash generated during one weekend was more than enough to tide Stiles over until the next.

Along with the food Stiles found items of clothing that were left behind. Shirts and shorts were the most common but one family had somehow left behind an entire suitcase. Stiles had wisely left that alone for the first week, tucking it behind a stand of trees so that it was out of site of the park ranger. After a week he considered it fair game and helped himself to a hideous blue sweater that was made of the softest, warmest material he had ever felt and a few pairs of baggy jeans.

Even with the weather getting colder Stiles was comfortable, better off than he had been in a long time and relaxed enough to let his guard down amist a park full of wolves.

"Are you a human?" Stiles had been sitting on a large boulder soaking up the afternoon sun. The soft question had him jumping and then scrambling to not fall off the other side of the rock.

Standing beside his resting place was a young wolf no more than ten years old with a curious tilt to his curly blond head.

"Yes, I'm a human. I'm Stiles." With a standing leap the young wolf jumped effortlessly in seconds the distance Stiles had to struggle to climb. He landed crouched over Stiles' legs and pressed his nose into the crook of his neck.

"I've never seen a human up close before. The ones I see when mom takes me into the city usually smell of fear. I don't like that, it makes my nose itch. You don't smell like that. I like the way you smell."

Stiles had been too shocked to even begin to panic and the little wolf was just too cute for him to fear. "Uh…thanks? I like the way you smell too."

The cub laughed. "Humans can't smell. You're being silly."

"We can too smell. Just not as well as wolves can." The young cub slid off Stiles and sat next to him on the boulder, feet swinging off the edge. They sat side by side for a few minutes staring off into the meadows.

"Why don't humans like us?" The cub's voice was soft and almost sounded timid to Stiles' ear.

"I don't think it's that we don't like you, I think it's that we are afraid of you?"

"Why? Mom says it's our duty to protect humans, to take you into our packs and keep you safe. But none of you really want to be our pack. There's only the human's that want to be turned and they never smell as nice as you do."

"I don't know what to say to that except from my experience all the wolves I've ever met, except for one alpha, have just wanted to grind me under their thumb. None of them have ever wanted to take care of me."

"That doesn't sound right." Frowning in thought the cub pulled out a candy bar from his jacket pocket and split it with Stiles. "When I'm an alpha you can be in my pack. I'll take care of you." Suddenly the cub's head lifted and tilted as if listening. "That's my mom. I gotta go."

Stiles watched as the young wolf dropped down from the boulder and ran off back to his campsite. Swallowing a sudden lump of fear Stiles hurried back to his cabin and packed all his belongings into the small suitcase and moved to another cabin further down the lane, keeping a careful eye out for the rest of the weekend in case the young cub had told his family about the lone human he found in the park.

By the time Stiles ventured out from his new hiding place the cub's family was long gone. The camp trash cans had been emptied and for the first time since he came to Barker Springs Stiles found himself forced to dumpster dive for his dinner. Wedging the lip open with a large rock his let himself drop into the darkness. The container was filled with the sickeningly sweat smell of decay and Stiles tried to breathe through his mouth as he quickly turned over the trash. Moving aside a tattered magazine he almost missed it, the date written in small print in the top corner. The magazine was dated three days past his birthday.

With a gasp of shear relief Stiles let himself slump to the bottom of the dumpster. He was now officially eighteen and no longer the responsibility of the Pack House. It was as if a weight had been lifted from his chest.

He was safe.


	10. Eighteen and Waiting

Eighteen and Waiting

The sky was a sharp crisp blue without a cloud to mar its perfection. The sun kept the winter chill at bay for which Stiles was grateful because the thin hoodie layered on top of the thick sweater was barely enough to keep him warm as he hiked down the side of the freeway toward the city.

Stiles spent most of the day as he walked down the gravel shoulder weighing his options. He still didn't have many to choose from but he had more than when he was seventeen.

The little alpha's words kept bouncing around in his skull. As far as Stiles knew wolves hated and despised humans but the cub had made it sound like the wolves were keeping their distance because they didn't want to scare them. The whole thing was strange but then Stiles had just a few examples to base his opinion on.

The only wolves he had ever had contact with were the turned and the omega, who seemed to hate everyone on site. Stiles had been told all his life that True Wolves considered themselves to be above humans and would not tolerate the disrespect of one speaking to them or even looking at them. Because of that idea humans kept their distance, unwilling to upset the uneasy balance between the two species.

Could everything he had ever been taught be so very wrong?

It would have to be a question for another day because today he needed to worry about a few simple things: where was he going to stay and what was he going to eat. Survival trumps unanswered societal questions every day.

He had survived for the last four months on the city streets but with winter coming he would not stand a chance against the cold frosty nights. Plus, with the Jubilee Fair shutting down there would not be the out pouring of foods to keep him from starving.

Getting a job without papers would be borderline impossible, Stiles thought. The betas that held the middle management positions that did the hiring would scoff at the mere site of Stiles and would never give him a chance.

But if Stiles was truly honest with himself his mind was already made up. He could still feel a small empty space in his chest, one that had been warm for just a few short minutes while he was in Derek's presence. The smell of his fur and the remembrance of his gentle hold invaded his dreams nightly. As much as Stiles wanted to pretend he was making a logical even minded decision, his choice had long been made. He was going to do his best to find Alpha Hale.

There still was that twinge of nerves. Lifelong fear of something doesn't just evaporate like a puddle in the summer sun but even Stiles knew that an Alpha's Mate was something to be cherished. They were treated with the gentlest of touches, cared for and supplied with their every desire. Mates were the anchors that an alpha needed to function, the thin wall that kept their darker instinct from emerging.

Hell, being a mate couldn't be worse than living on the streets. And if it was he could always run away again; he was good at that.

His mind made up, a plan in place, Stiles started to work his way to the Hale Manor. At first he was worried that he wouldn't be able to find it, that he would be forced to ask for directions and possibly run afoul of the Argents who were sure to be still on his trail.

But luck was on his side for once. The Wedding between Laura Hale and her human mate was the news of the day and every paper, magazine, and TV station had the event plastered for all to see.

A quick stop at the public library where Stiles had spent many an hour hiding out during the last few months netted him an address and directions. Jumping over the turn stile of the metro, Stiles took the public transport to the end of the line. Even without the map Stiles would have had an easy time knowing which way to go. The road toward the Hale Manor was filled with a constant stream of cars and delivery vans.

Hiking along in the shadows, Stiles counted the vehicles that passed him until the numbers seemed to press against his brain. There were so many people and presents heading to one house. Maybe, Stiles thought, this was not the best time to invite himself into their home. Who would want a dirty human crashing the wedding of the year?

He was still unsure about what to do when he crested a small hill and was able to look down on the glory that was the Hale Manor. Multiple tents glowed with a golden light, lavender lanterns with intricate designs filled the evening sky, and hundreds of people, well wolves, filled the enormous back yard dressed in their finest silks and satins.

Seeing that the party goers were outside made Stiles' decision on what he should do so much easier. He didn't have to crash the party; no one even had to know he was there until it was all over. He could sneak down and hide inside the monstrosity of a house until the next morning. Surly Derek would be happy enough to see him that he would forgive his slight trespassing.

Getting onto the Hale grounds was easy. The gates were flung wide and the guards were laughing as they ate the catered dinner that had been supplied for the entire staff. The heaping plates that had been brought out to them as Stiles watched from the shadows made his stomach threaten to growl.

Moving quickly as they joked and devoured the food, Stiles slipped by the guard house and run quickly up the lawn toward the large house. The whole place was awash with lights and streamers of lavender and cream ribbons. Stiles approached from the darkest side where the party was hidden from his view by the massive walls. He could hear the laughter as the Hale Pack's family and friends enjoyed the reception.

About half way down the side of the house there was a small doorway that led down into the basement of the Hale House. The well-oiled hinges didn't even squeak as Stiles opened it and hurried inside.

He found himself in something of a catch-all room. There were pieces of lawn equipment as well as old bicycles hanging from ceiling hooks. Each step deeper into the room gave Stiles a little glimpse into Derek Hale's life. Aside from the bikes there was camping equipment and fishing rods, a whole shelf of baseball paraphernalia from bats to bases, and a huge tub of Legos.

Stiles smiled brightly at the thought of a young Derek surrounded by masses of Legos as he built towers and spaceships. Stiles had loved Legos as a child, something else he had lost with his parent's sudden death.

The end of the room had another flight of stairs leading up into a washroom that backed the kitchen. Hearing the clatter of platters he quickly ducked into a large cabinet filled with mops and brooms. The wait staff quickly refilled their trays, laughing happily at the honor of serving at Laura Hale's wedding and left to keep the party attendees well supplied with Champagne to toast the couple's happiness.

Exiting the kitchen he found the main area of the Hale Manor dark and quiet. The large furniture and tasteful sculptures cast long shadows across the room. Beneath his feet the parquet creaked softly. If anyone from the pack had still been in the house they would have been alerted to his presence immediately.

Eyeing the curving staircase that wound its way up the side of the entrance Stiles pondered his next step. The rooms would most likely be allotted to family and important guests but there had to be a linen closet or something up there in which he could hide for the night. Come morning he could find the dark haired alpha and explain everything.

Surely he was almost safe. The alpha had said Stiles was his mate.

Insecurity is a nasty, sneaky little demon that whispers your deepest fears into your heart at the worst possible moment. Stiles' murmured that the alpha had realized his mistake the moment Stiles had been driven away in the backseat of the dark car. Why would an alpha of the Hale's standing want a homeless orphan nobody like himself?

What if the unmated male wasn't even in the manor? How would he ever be able to convince any of the true wolves that he was the mate of a Hale? Without Laura, who would surely be off on her honeymoon, there would be no one to collaborate his story.

His palms were slick against the banister railing. Stiles heartbeat raced as the first traces of panic caught hold of his nerves sending his system into a fearful spin. No True Wolf would take the word of a mangy un-claimed human. He would be held until the city betas arrived and then hauled away.

Stiles' foot faltered on the second to last step. The chill of fear in his chest bent him over, forcing him to grasp for air in abruptly tightened lungs. It was stupid to come here, foolish to think he could belong in a place like this.

"Oh God, Oh God," he whispered turning to head back down, to run into the night and keep from being caught, when a voice came out of the darkness.

"What the hell are you doing up here?"


	11. Wedding Crasher

Wedding Crasher

Derek listens as the intruder moves about in the house below him, his wolf growling low and deep at the perceived invasion of his territory and it is everything Derek can do to keep from lunging out of his bed and chasing the trespasser off. The only thing holding him back, by thin threads of will alone, is his desire not to spoil Laura's wedding anymore than his slow decline into madness has already caused.

He had tried for weeks to get her to believe that he was okay with her moving on with her own life, he didn't need her to worry now on what was supposed to be the best day of her life. Derek desperately wanted her to be happy. She never needed to find out how quickly he was falling apart.

The person stumbling around downstairs, he reasons, is just an attendee of the party that is looking for a bathroom or maybe one of the staff using his break to look around at the famous Hale Manor. It's not until the scent of camp fires and pine trees wafts up to his room at the top of the stairs, drawing and focusing his attention, does Derek realize that the trespasser is human.

His family had always been on the forefront of human/wolf relations believing that the best way for the two groups to get along was with equal treatment and rights of all individuals no matter what your station at birth. But for the last six weeks his family and pack had closed ranks around him, trying their best to protect him from anymore pain and suffering. There had not been a human, except for his mother and Max, on the property since that dreadful night when he lost Stiles.

The human below was the first to step inside the manor and his scent gnaws at Derek's heart. The footsteps across the floor are loud, making enough noise to alert any wolf that was in or near the house of not for the party raging out on the back lawn. With the celebration in full swing there would be no one paying enough attention to the house to pick up on the invasion.

As the footsteps made their way to the foot of the stairs, Derek allowed his wolf to come more toward the forefront of his mind. The shifting of the spectrum came with his change. Fangs prickling against his lips, claws lengthening against the fabric of his sheets Derek edged closer to the foot of the bed, cocking his head as he listens as the human climbs the stairs.

Who would dare inter the private quarters of the Hale family? Thief? Nosey reporter for another magazine trying to get a story on Derek and his broken heart? It burns at Derek that the majority of people out there view his pain as tabloid fodder to be consumed and enjoyed in mass quantities. As if loosing part of soul was a blockbuster movie event.

The footsteps near the top of the stairs and Derek slides off the edge of his bed, moving to intercept the human foolish enough to come here. He wasn't going to hurt the idiot but he would give the fool the scare of his life.

It was frightening how easy it was to let his eyes slip to red as the skin of his back flowed and rippled as his fur sprouted up the ridge of his spine and outward. The eagerness of his wolf should have warned Derek to how far gone he really was at that point. Stepping out of the shadows and directly into the path of the young human he growled, "What are you doing here?"

It wasn't until he was face to terrified face with the human that Derek realized it was Stiles. His scent was so different from the asphalt and city dust that he remembered from before. Stiles' scent now contained traces of pine and wild things and it took him a couple of seconds to process that the base scent was still the same. By then the thin male had made a full retreat.

Stiles didn't give him a chance to recover, to pull his scattered thoughts and emotions together, to regain his human form and not the snarling beast that he had become; he just turned and fled back down the stairs as fast as he could run.

With a roar of denial, unable to lose his mate again, Derek charges after him. Stiles stumbles down the stairs ahead of him, his feet slipping from under him and sending him half sliding, bottom bumping on each step, most of the way down. Derek leaps the railing and lands in front of the frightened human, blocking the exit to the front door.

Without pause, Stiles turns and bolts out the back and heads straight for the wedding party that covers the huge spread of back lawn. Somewhere in the back of his mind, where logic still lurked, Derek knew he should give Stiles some space, let the human catch his breath after the scare he must have felt coming face to face with Derek in his fully wolfed out form but his wolf was now fully in control and all Derek could see were the masses of werewolves that were just too damn close to his un-marked mate, which drove him crazy.

Standing on the back porch Derek let out a howl of warning and challenge to any who would come between him and his fleeing mate. As Stiles ran into the crowd people reach out to try to catch him. One snags his red hoodie forcing him to drop down and wiggle free.

Spinning away, Stiles crashes into two waiters that were struggling under the weight of trays filled with fluted glasses and plated appetizers for the party guests. He spins into them, trying briefly to help keep the tottering trays aloft before dodging the inevitable waterfall of alcohol and moving away. The deluge of spirits shower all those in range sending up cries of dismay into the night's air.

A beta, eyes turning amber with the smell of the hunt, catches Stiles around his bicep, his nails digging into the human's tender flesh and drawing blood. Derek's attention leaps immediately from his mate that was inches from being in his embrace to the beta that dares draw his blood.

The brief struggle, which consists mostly of the beta trying to shove Stiles into Derek's arms before Derek kills him while Stiles was trying to avoid Derek and escape from the betas painful grip, sends the young human careening into the gift table. The brightly wrapped boxes break his fall but the tinkling sounds send a shot of dread through his very soul.

A massive metal tree covered in tiny individually shaped wolves, each with a clip hanging from it from which the attending wolves could attach gifts of money or checks, wobbled for a few seconds before toppling over towards Stiles head. The young human had little time to do anything but cover his eyes before a dark furred hand snatches the enormous metal structure as if it was made of tissue.

Rolling away from both wolf and death by metal tree, Stiles ducks under the cover a long table and out the other side, finding himself in a sea of lavender and cream tulle. Shapely legs spin and kick around him as he weaves his way out from under the bride's maids, heading straight toward the center of the party.

Stiles throws himself under a laced covered table that is moaning under the weight of a half eaten wedding cake. The lavender and white monstrosity wavers back and forth as guests attempt to reach under and grab the frightened human.

Derek charges forward, reaching the end just as Stiles pops out to make a run for it. Catching him by the arms, he tries to hold his mate securely without causing him harm but Stiles struggles in his grasp, twisting them backwards until they crumble against the table which tilts crazily under their combined weight, tottering for just a moment until the cake and dishes start to slide at an alarming rate toward the two.

Being caught in an avalanche of cake and icing allows Stiles to slip out of Derek's grasp and once again the dark haired wolf finds himself chasing his mate through a crowd that gasps and chuckles as they pass.

After the first few moments of chaos and confusion the guests start to work together, switching between gentle herding of the frightened human and forming werewolf blockades that cut down Stiles' escape routes until he is forced toward the dance floor.

Derek watches as his mate skitters across the dance floor, the icing that coats him making it hard for him to keep his footing. Seeing Derek's father at the end of the floor, the human jerks to a halt only to slip, sliding forward across the shiny tiled floor until he comes to rest, his sticky lavender coated body flush against the white of Laura's wedding dress.

Seeing his opening Derek storms across the floor just seconds behind his mate, wrapping his arm around Stiles' thin waist and pulling him to his knees.

"Derek!" Laura was barely able to get the cry out before he was in action.

Roaring, head thrown back and teeth elongated, Derek pauses only to growl in his sister's direction. It was both warning and claim. "Mine." The sound of his roar seems to echo through the tent as he bites down on the fleshy part of Stile's neck and shoulder, claiming his mate before the stunned crowd.


	12. Wedding Smasher

Wedding Smasher

The bite into the curve of his neck was far from pleasant. He was mid-scream; his nerve endings sending waves of pain down his spine making him arch his back while trying to pull away, when it all just stopped. The pain stopped, the fear stopped, the whole world seemed to have stopped except for Derek.

The very air that surrounded him changed as the mark took affect and his mate's pheromones filled his senses. Turning Stiles took in the image of Derek kneeling behind him, arm wrapped loosely around his waist and pupils dilated with the intensity of the mating mark. The light around him seemed to solidify creating a sharp contrast against the blurring images of everything else.

Stiles lunged forward and tried to bury himself in the scent of his mate, of home, of EVERYTHING. He clung to Derek's shoulders, his face pressed into his neck nipping and kissing as he twined his arms and legs around his mate's body. The red hued eyes widened briefly in surprise before blinking away into their normal green-hazel tone.

As if coming from far away Stiles could hear the voices of the other wolves growling and snarling at his mate. He didn't care, barely perceived their existence, just tried to get closer to the other half of his soul, the taste of his mates flesh intoxicating under his tongue; slightly bitter and earthy with a coating of butter cream.

Stiles knew that he would never view birthday cake the same.

"Damn it, Derek! You marked him in public? What the fuck is wrong with you?" Stiles registered the voice as Laura's even though the shrill angry screech was nothing like the honey rich tones he remembered from the café.

"Come on. Let's get him back to the house." Strong arms pulled him from Derek's grasp. Stiles had a brief view of an older man that bore a striking resemblance to his mate but Stiles was focused on only one thing, one person. He twisted and turned in the man's hold as Derek growled at his side.

"Derek, I'm not taking him away from you. We need to get you both to the house. You can't complete the mark out here in public." Stiles was half lifted into the older man's arms where he promptly tried to climb over the werewolf's shoulder and into Derek's arms.

There was a brief struggle as multiple hands reached out and supported tugged and readjusted Stiles' position but to little avail. Stiles continued to fight against the hands that held him away from his mate as he was carried across the lawn, desperately trying to push his way back into the heat and perfection. He didn't have the strength to break free and was half carried back to the manor, pulling and flinging himself toward Derek each time he wiggled loose enough that his feet touched the ground.

Derek was suddenly no longer in his sight and Stiles redoubled his effort to get away undeterred by the pleas to 'calm down before you hurt yourself'. All he wanted was Derek, all he NEEDED was Derek. He could feel the panic rising and whispers of 'shhhhh, it's okay' did nothing to stop the frantic beating of his heart.

Once past the door the older wolf placed Stiles back on his feet tugging at Stiles arms as he guided him deeper into the house. Behind him were a small group of wolves, dressed in deep richly hue suits and smug happy smiles. Between them all they kept Stiles moving deeper into the manor until he reached the winding staircase.

They herded Stiles up the flight of stairs and into a dark room. He had just a moment alone, enough time to have felt the beginning edge of an epic panic attack and then Derek was wrapping him in his arms and everything was all right. Stiles kissed the older man, nipping his chin and dragging his teeth and tongue down his throat as he pushed Derek back toward the waiting bed. Fumbling with the shirt, Stiles pushed and pulled at the buttons until the wolf took pity and lifted it over his head exposing an amazing expanse of chest for Stiles to stroke and touch.

Derek's knees hit the back of the bed and he teetered briefly before Stiles pushed him the rest of the way over and straddled him, raining kisses down upon him. Stiles followed his mate as he backed up across the bed as if pulled by his gravitation's force. Reaching up, green eyes filled with wonder, Derek cupped his face in his palms and kissed him before rolling over and pinning Stiles to the mattress.

His dingy red hoodie was un-zipped quickly and pushed to the side. Derek tried to remove the blue sweater before Stiles had his arms out of the hoodie briefly wrapping the clothing tighter around his mate until the sound of ripping fabric freed him from his cocoon.

The feelings, the emotions were intense and swirled together. Stiles had a moment to wonder at the feelings he was experiencing as Derek's hands moved over his flesh. He could feel the desire that Derek was feeling for him as well as the burning need for his werewolf mate that raged through his own blood. The two combined bringing Stiles to a pinnacle of emotion that he never fathomed could exist. It was a moment of clarity, a 'wow' moment but it was quickly submerged by the need to claim and be claimed.

Derek sucked his way down Stiles' chest, starting at the constellation of moles on his shoulder and working inward across the collar bone until it ended at the hollow of the younger man's throat. Running the thick stubble on his chin against the softness of Stiles' neck, Derek slid up until he could kiss him. Licking along the crease he pleaded with tongue and soft moans for entrance which was almost immediately granted. Derek traced the contours of his mate's mouth, their tongues tangling as they learned more about each other's bodies.

Stiles couldn't keep his hands still, letting them roam across the warm flesh of Derek's back. His pants felt tight, a constriction that he pressed against Derek's in hopes of finding relief.

The feeling of Derek's moist breath as he kissed his way down his chest raised goose bumps along Stiles' skin. Slowing his movements as he reached Stiles' navel, Derek let his tongue swirl along the rim and lightly dart inside. Stiles' voice caught mid gasp and his hips thrust widely against Derek's leg.

"Derek," he managed to stutter out. "Please."

Fingers skimmed over the waistband of his jeans, popping the button and pulling them downward with one long slow pull exposing all of Stiles to his mate's hungry eyes. Derek ran his nose down the inside of his leg, moving upward until reaching the heavy swell before kissing his way up Stiles' length and swallowing him whole.

In the crammed confines of the Hale Pack House, Stiles had never been alone for long enough to do more than a quick tug and pull to relieve the worst of the tension that seemed to build regularly in his young body. While on the streets there was never the time or the energy to indulge in something as primal as jerking off. So he had little to no prior knowledge of what Derek was doing to him SHOULD feel like but he knew it was the best feeling he had ever had in his short life.

"Don't stop, don't stop, don't stop," he begged as Derek lifted his hips while sucking him deeper.

Light spilled across the bed as the door swung open hitting the wall and bouncing back in a wild swing. "You so owe me, you little fuck. I love you to death, Derek but that was my wedding, you ass." A small tube was thrown into the room, its aim perfect, hitting Derek right in the middle of his forehead as he turned to growl at the intruder. "Enjoy!"

"Oh thank God," Stiles murmured into Derek's skin as he recognized the bottle of lube. He licked and bit each inch of skin he could reach, stopping to savor the parts that were still butter cream flavored. The taste of his mate's skin, the sweetness of the icing drove him wild.

The click of the cap opening gave him a moment of unease but Derek reacted to his increasing heartbeat by slowing down his frantic movements to kiss him deeply as he gently fingered Stiles' entrance. There was a pressure and then fullness and Stiles found himself pushing down to increase the sensations Derek was causing.

Derek kissed his way back down his mate's body, moving into position between Stiles' spread legs, hands slowly urging his knees apart further to make room for his larger bulk. Taking his length back into his mouth, Derek added a second finger working Stiles open with a scissoring motion. Stiles sprawled, legs draped over Derek's thighs, hips tilted upward and head thrown back in ecstasy on the bed.

"I don't want to come too soon. I want you in me. Derek, Derek, stop." Stiles tugged on his mate's hair pulling him up to kiss him deeply while rubbing himself against him.

Shifting position Derek motioned for Stiles to roll over, covering his shoulders and back with kisses and love bites as he widened and stretched him below. Derek stiffened and a soft hiss escaped his lips, his body so close to Stiles that the warmth of his breath tickled the fine hairs on his lower back. Stiles started to turn, to see what had caused his mate to pause when Derek began to slowly, reverently kiss a twisting line up his back. Fingers joined the feather light kisses and Stiles realized that Derek had found the ripple of silver scars that covered his back in a vine-like pattern.

"Later." Derek whispered into his flesh. "Later you will tell me who did this to you. And I will find them. They will pay in blood."

"Can we shelve this conversation for, I don't know, never? God, I need you." Stiles wiggled his hips against Derek, pressing his legs further apart until all thought of his scars were driven from Derek's mind, replaced by the image of his mate so open and needy beneath him.

"Stiles," he rumbled both as a warning and plea. With his knees Derek spread Stiles' legs wider. His body followed the curve of his human mate as he pressed himself into his lover's warmth.

Derek's first few thrusts were shallow and slow as he worked his way into Stiles, listening for the first sign of distress or discomfort from his mate. Exhaling a broken moan Stiles pushed back with each slow thrust, driving Derek deeper.

Together they picked up the tempo, flesh striking with increasing speed as Derek draped himself over his mate, sucking marks up the center of his spin until he reached the back of Stiles' neck. He could smell, hear, and even taste in the air how his mate was a breath away from tumbling over the edge. With a last kiss Derek slid his mouth to cover the raw mating mark, letting his human teeth skim over the torn flesh.

The shuddering climax took them both, a firework of pleasure exploding outward along their nerve endings making them tremble and shake in tandem as Derek clutched Stiles to his chest. With the aftershocks still echoing through them, Derek rolled off his mate, pulling him backwards into the safety of his hold and wrapping his arms around the smaller waist.

The mating mark was sealed and complete. They were now true mates and Stiles could feel Derek in the back of his mind and in his soul, it was like having an extra muscle that he could feel flex beneath his skin. They fell asleep tangled in each other's arms and legs.

AN: Special thanks to CourseofHonour for catching all the tenses and turning them into something the grammar police won't cart me away for. Please leave a review and let me know what you are thinking or if you have any questions. I always answer.

I know a lot of you also write but I have not been able to keep up with you all. I love GoldenPetal13's 'To Save Them All' as well as her 'Stiles, the Bunny' (GOD if you haven't read it…go do it NOW). If you write, send me a message so that I can look your story up. I would love to support your stories like you have supported mine.

Thanks again.


	13. The Morning After

The Morning After

Stiles woke, heart pounding to the half remembered images of the nightmare. Derek, still asleep with his head tucked to his mate's side, grumbled soothingly as he pulled the human closer. He lay there for a few minutes, gathering thoughts and calming breathes while the alpha continued to slumber.

Brushing off the last of the images of the Argent's leering face as he leaned in to press the plunger home, shooting a purple liquid deep into his arm, Stiles sat up and edged his way to the end of the bed.

Derek had pushed all the covers off of himself, leaving them to cocoon around Stiles. He had to wiggle and shift his way out of them feeling strangely enough like a mummy from an old black and white movie.

Glancing over his shoulder he took in the long smooth line of Derek's body from the curve of his arm tucked up around the pillow, hand resting against his cheek to the muscular chest and downward until a trail of dark hair began to thicken. Stiles pulled his eyes away, face heating as he tried to not think certain thoughts.

As much as he wished the night before could be a fuzzy memory, Stiles was faced with the cold, clear recollection of what had happened in minute detail from his first encounter with an enraged Derek to the mating bite that had turned his blood to liquid fire and unleashed every dark need and desire he had hidden in his very soul.

He couldn't deny the feelings of want he had felt; hell was still feeling, for Derek. Even now he just wanted to curl back into the warmth that was his mate, lick the soft skin at the hollow of his throat until he opened his eyes and then fuck him into the mattress.

Damn! It was like part of him was brain washed. He was not the type of person to just roll over and let life just happen to him. He was in charge of his own destiny, captain of his own sinking ship.

And Derek's skin felt like warm silk over padded steel. There was just enough give to make it pleasant but the muscle was unmistakable. Stiles pulled his hand back from where it was ghosting over Derek's chest on its own accord. Fuck, his body was betraying him now. Et tu, left hand?

He needed to clear his head, needed to think straight and that wasn't going to happen sitting in the same room as the sexy werewolf that had somehow infected him with lust chemicals last night with his bite. That was the only explanation Stiles could come up with for his command performance as a sex starved maniac the night before. God, he wanted to be embarrassed or angry but all he felt was the dark wet heat of need.

Slipping the rest of the way out of the bed Stiles found his pants and a shirt that must belong to Derek and pulled them on. Opening the door he crept out keeping a careful eye out for anyone that would stop him. He just needed some air to clear the hazy fog out of his mind so that he could think straight.

Keeping to the inside of the stairs where they would be less likely to creak, Stiles made his way quickly down and was half way to the front door when two betas stepped out of a small side room, blocking his path.

"Sir, I don't think you should leave without Alpha Hale's permission." The smaller beta smiled softly and motioned Stiles back the way he had come.

"Why? Am I a prisoner here? Why do I need Alpha Hale's permission to leave the house? I'm not a child and I'm not his possession."

Stiles tried to brush past them but they blocked his way, arms spread and unmoving. With a huff, he turned and headed back through the manor toward the kitchen and the cellar door he had entered through the night before. Before he made it more than five steps pass the stairs three more betas moved to block his way.

The wolves spread around him forming a loose net of arms and powerful bodies. Logically Stiles knew they wouldn't dare hurt him but he could still feel his heart as it increased speed, pounding away at the inside of his chest.

"Please Sir, calm down. Just wait for Alpha Hale and everything will be okay." Stiles turned and tried to duck between the wolves that stood in front of the hallway leading out to the back but was caught and tugged back. The feeling of being trapped clinched at his heart, racketing it up a notch as icy tendrils laced their way up his spine.

A growl, deep and foreboding, from above cut though his budding panic attack. Whipping around so quickly to look up at Derek on the top of the stairs caused Stiles to lose his footing and stumble. One of the betas reached out to steady him with a hand to his upper arm and Derek let out a roar that brought the betas to their knees. Partially wolfed out Derek dropped from the second story to land, crouching and growling, in front of Stiles, placing him protectively behind him.

"What are you doing?" Derek growled at the betas which had all tilted their heads to offer their necks in submission.

"He was leaving, Alpha. We just wanted to stop him before he went too far without you. He has not been harmed in any way."

"And why do I need you permission to leave?" Stiles pushed a finger into Derek's chest. "I don't belong to you. Being your mate does not make me your property."

"No. Of course not. You are my mate. I just need to be able to protect you." Stepping forward and wrapping Stiles in his powerful embrace, Derek ran his nose down the side of Stiles neck as he breathed in his mate's scent deeply. Lips brushing over the claiming mark Derek paused and then kissed the mark on Stiles' skin.

Almost instantly Stiles found his legs turning to mush underneath him, no longer supporting his weight. Derek tightened his embrace, taking the extra weight with ease as he turned Stiles to face him fully and brought their lips together in a slow, lingering kiss.

Stiles could feel their emotions merge, feel Derek's need for him to be protected and cherished and loved as well as his own feelings of desire. They swirled together creating the perfect storm of sheer lust. He could still taste the lingering sweetness of the icing on Derek's chest as he worked the hastily thrown on shirt off his mate's shoulders, discarding it on the floor as he pushed the wolf up against the desk, slotting his body between the muscular open thighs.

The FUCK?

Stiles pulled away, staggering just a little at the loss of contact with Derek made his body ache, and looked at the alpha in front of him. Derek's hair was wild, spiking and tossed in every direction, his eyes were a shimmering ring of peridot around his blown ebony pupils. The alpha was panting with his mouth open, lips reddened from the kiss, as he leaned against the desk as if it was the only thing holding him up. Debauched, Stiles thought, so that's what it looks like.

"What the hell is that?" Stiles forced the words out of his mouth, trying to regain a semblance of self. It took all his will power to use his mouth for something besides tasting every inch of Derek's body but he managed to take one more step back and asked again, "What was that?"

"It's the mating bite. It's overpowering at first until the bond settles. Usually mates just stay together in their room until it eases. Mates need to be close. I need to be close. God, Stiles, my wolf needs to be close, to touch you. Please, let's just go back upstairs."

"No. We need to talk about what just happened."

"Okay. Let's talk upstairs." Derek reached out and grabbed Stiles by the arm and had him half way to the stairs before he was able to dig in his heels and drag the older wolf to a halt.

"I doubt we will get any talking done upstairs." Twisting out of Derek's grip Stiles walked back to the small office off to the side of the hallway and around the large desk. Having enormous pieces of furniture between himself and the ruffled werewolf seemed like a good idea.

Derek followed suddenly looking like a kicked puppy. "Stiles," he moaned with the pain of his need evident, "Please, let's just go upstairs. Everything will be clearer."

"Yeah. I totally get that. You will nibble over this mark you left in my shoulder…," Stiles let his fingers brush over the bite for emphasis and found himself having to suddenly sit, his body hard and trembling, the rest of his sentence lost in his body's response.

Derek was half way around the desk, nose flaring at the scent of desire that filled the air, pushing into Stiles' space and kissing away his breath. Dropping to his knees in front of his mate; Derek half lifted Stiles from the chair slipping his thumbs under the waistband of his pants and pulling them down to pool at his ankles.

Stiles watched, letting his fingers curl into the thickness of Derek's hair as his mate swallowed him whole, nose brushing the curls at the juncture of his thighs. With a moan he let his head drop back as his hips made little helpless thrusts on their own. Derek held his hips lightly, allowing him to move as his thumbs made encouraging circles against his flesh.

"God, Derek, come up here." Stiles tugged at the wolf's hair urging him off so that he could kiss those perfect lips. Their mouths crashed together, teeth clicking as they found their alignment, tongues intertwined. Stiles could taste himself mixed with the wild earthy tang of Derek. He was lost once more in the flood of sensations.

Pushing Derek back so that he could get out of the chair, Stiles leaned on the desk before pulling Derek into his arms, wrapping his legs around his waist and rocking against his mate.

"We should go upstairs."

"Shut the fuck up Derek and get out of your pants." It was amazing how fast the alpha complied with Stiles' demands and the offending object of clothing was practically ripped from his body.

Stiles pushed the shirt the rest of the way off Derek's chest, adding a mental note to himself to spend more time exploring every pore of his body later, before tossing it to the side before laying down, spreading himself wider in invitation.

"Oh God." Derek kissed him, moving down the column of his throat and across his chest, stopping just below the mark. "Stiles, can I?"

"Yes." Flashes of pleasure erupted as Derek's lips brushed the edges of the mark, they flared incandescent as he started to suck and lick the spot. Stiles' world vanished in a red haze the moment Derek's human blunt teeth bit down leaving only the ability to feel behind. Logic and thought were washed away.

Stiles worked his way up out of his lust fogged sea of pleasure as Derek started to work his way in with slow steady thrusts and a constant murmur of "love you, need you, mine, mate."

Derek pulled Stiles' legs higher over his hips, leaning forward to rest chest to chest with his arms tucked under Stiles' shoulders and nose pressed to the left of the mark, resting against the thundering pulse of his mate's neck.

"You ran from me." Derek's voice was like an open wound, raw, gaping.

"I was scared." Stiles rubbed his hands in a slow circle on the wide expanse of his mate's back and tilted his hips.

"Of me." Derek didn't move except to press his nose deeper.

"Ugh." Stiles squeezed his legs together to gain the support he needed to thrust upward. "You were all wolfed out and scary as hell. Fuck. Can we talk about this later? Move damn it."

Derek didn't need to be told twice. He leaned back, resting one hand on the desk for support and the other clutched at Stiles shoulder as he thrust forward with enough force to make the desk scoop across the floor with his movements.

Stiles was reduced to garbled pleas of "more, there, God, and don't stop." His hands clung to whatever he could reach; the desk edge, Derek's shoulders, his lover's arms.

Derek's whole body seemed to stutter, quick sudden jerks as he tossed his head back and gasped, coming with Stiles' name on his lips.

"Don't go. Don't leave." He whispered collapsing forward and gathering Stiles up in a crushing embrace.

Stiles felt boneless and sated. Fisting a clump of Derek's hair he pulled the werewolf up to look him in the eye. "I won't but we need to talk. No biting and no more sex until we get a couple of things straight between us."

"If I just give you a preemptive yes to whatever you want, can we have sex in the shower?"

Stiles brain frizzled at the image of a naked Derek with water and a stream of soapy bubbles running down his back and over his firm ass cheeks. "New plan. Shower sex and then talking without any biting until we get things straight between us."

"Sounds like a plan." Derek laughed as he leaned in to claim another kiss.


	14. Meeting the In-Laws

Meeting the In-Laws

It started out as just a sweet kiss. Derek's lips just brushing across the surface of his own but when Stiles leaned forward letting the tip of his tongue travel over the crease in Derek's lips before slipping inside to trace its contours and tangle with his tongue, everything changed.

Stiles cupped the back of the older man's head, pulling him forward and deepening the kiss while his other hand grabbed the firm globe of his ass bringing their hips closer together.

He kissed and sucked his way down the column of Derek's throat searching for lingering traces of icing hidden along the salty pathway. Licking along the hollow then moving toward the shoulder, Stiles decided to leave his own mark on the flesh of his mate. He planned on it being little more than just a nip but as soon as his teeth sunk into the flesh he seemed to lose all sense of self.

"Stiles," Derek groaned thrusting against him for relief.

Sliding his fingers up through the short locks, Stiles took a firm grip on Derek's hair and pulled his head sideways onto his shoulder. "Do it."

"You said no biting until after we talked."

"Fuck it." Derek let his tongue run across the mark and Stiles' legs went out from beneath him. He could feel Derek running along his synapsis, feeling as if he could taste colors and see sounds. Stiles wanted nothing more than to curl into that perfect feeling of warmth and never leave.

"Do you see what you are to me? Can you not feel it? Why would you want to leave this? You are my TRUE MATE and I will never let you go."

Stiles worked his way deeper into Derek's mouth, mapping every crevasse with his tongue while running his hands along the planes of his stomach when there was a chorus of throat clearings from the door.

Derek broke off the kiss but Stiles was oblivious to their observers and tried to follow his mate's lips as he moved away with a whine of disappointment. Stiles let Derek wrap him in his warm arms and turn him toward the couple standing in the door way but purposely let his ass rub against his mate.

Standing in the doorway, amused smiles brightening their features were an older pair. The alpha was a spitting image of what Derek would look like in twenty years, still fit and virile with just a touch of silver in his dark black hair. Green tinted hazel eyes looked at the pair with affection and joy.

Reaching out the alpha took the woman's hand, clasping it gently with his own as he smiled at the petite blonde. "I remember how it was when I first found you, Talia."

"Yes, well, I have to think we made a little less of an impression on people than our son and his mate." Any sting that Stiles might have felt from her words was taken away by the sweet smile she bestowed upon him and a gentle kiss to his cheek.

Derek's rumbled, low growl deep in his chest vibrated through Stiles' body but stopped almost as soon as it started. Glancing over his shoulder Stiles could see the light blush along his mate's cheeks and at the tips of his ears. His mother just smiled and patted her son's cheek. "We were about to have breakfast. Would you like to join us Stiles? I would love to get to know you a little better."

Stiles' stomach made its vote for food, food soon and lots of it, known loud and clear with a growl that would make any alpha proud. Feeling his own blush rising up his neck he mumbled "Yes mam" to Derek's mom.

"I think maybe you two need some time to dress. We can hold breakfast for another fifteen minutes. I will see you both then." It was only at that point that Stiles realized his almost complete state of undress as well as Derek's tussled, sexed up look.

"Oh God! That was your mother? How are you not dying from embarrassment? Never mind, I will do it for both of us." With a huff Stiles left the office, hurrying up the stairs clutching what remained of his shirt to his chest with one hand while the other kept his pants, now strangely missing its button, from falling to his knees.

He stopped in the middle of Derek's room, fists clenched at his sides as he struggled to keep control of his growing need to just explode. So far the mating bite and the sex had been able to keep a lid on all the other emotions that boiled inside of him but Stiles could feel the pressure rise.

Derek wrapped his arms around him from behind, careful to stay away from the mating mark. "It's going to be okay, you know. Just give this some time. Please?"

"You can't just bite somebody and take over their lives, you know? Well, maybe YOU don't know. You're an alpha." Stiles shrugged out of the embrace and moved toward the bathroom at the far side of the room. No matter how weirded out he was there was no way he was passing up a meal.

Following Stiles into the bathroom, Derek leaned against the sink as his mate stripped off the remaining shreds of clothing and stepped into the shower. Stiles was used to showering with the rest of the boys from the Pack House so having someone nearby did little to discourage him from jumping into the shower.

The shower was like nothing he had ever seen. Multiple shower heads and a knob with no markings greeted him as he stepped inside. Turning the knob to the right Stiles hissed as the water cascaded over him. "Fuck, cold, cold, cold. I would have thought that wolves would have warm water at the very least."

Derek reached in and adjusted the dials and a wave of glorious, almost too hot water rained down over his skin each jet pumping the sprays like a heartbeat, kneading his flesh as Stiles melted against the tile.

"There's soap. Or body wash if you want. The shampoo is on you left."

"Ugh," was the only reply Stiles seemed to be able to make. He braced his arms on the tile and ducked his head so that the water struck him on the neck and shoulders, washing away the filth and massaging out the knots in his muscles.

Stiles didn't react to the sound of the door opening or the brief breeze of cooler air that blew into the stall as Derek entered, moving silently behind him. The only sound he made was from the spray hitting his body and the click of the body wash opening. Stiles leaned back minutely into the touch of the wash cloth on his back, the lazy circles soothing as they stripped layers of grit and dust off his skin. The water greyed at his feet, weeks of living on his own swirling down the drain.

Derek continued to work the cloth down the curve of Stiles' spine and quickly over the swell of his ass, his strokes almost professional. He cleaned down the long line of Stiles' legs carefully to ease around the multiple scabs and half healed wounds until he reached his feet. Stiles shifted his weight as his mate lifted one foot to wash and then the other.

Allowing Derek to turn him, Stiles tilted his head back to let the spray run across his face as his mate ran the cloth over his chest and stomach. The needy whine that broke from his mate was the first sound they had made since entering the shower. Opening his eyes Stiles saw the raw desire flare in Derek's eyes as he gazed over the pale length of his exposed throat.

Derek looked almost hungry as he stared over his mate. Stiles' stomach let out another growl as if to remind them both of its priorities. "Let me get your hair and we'll be ready to head down to breakfast."

Stiles could do little more than hum in agreement as Derek's fingers massaged shampoo through his hair, nails scraping lightly against his scalp. He found himself leaning into the hard expanse of his mate's chest, head resting on his shoulder as the last of the soap was washed away.

Stepping out of the shower, leaving Stiles cocooned in the foggy heat, Derek handed a fluffy blue towel over the stall door. Emerging from the shower's warmth Stiles found himself faced with Derek, a towel wrapped around his trim waist while scrubbing vigorously at his hair with another. The curl of want in his lower body was both a distraction and a reminder of his position.

"There's a toothbrush in the last drawer." Derek picked up his own and quickly finished his own morning routine as Stiles stood almost frozen by his own thoughts. "Stiles?" Derek looked at his mate with worried eyes. "There's breakfast and then we can talk about all this. It will all be okay. I promise."

It was more the promise of breakfast that urged Stiles into movement. Teeth brushed, body cleaned, and wearing Derek's clothing which hung a bit loosely on his thin frame but was clean and smelled of Derek's heady scent, Stiles headed back down the stairs to eat breakfast with the head of the Hale Pack.

He tried to ignore the tightness in his chest but couldn't help wonder if coming here was the best choice he could have made. Derek stopped at the top of the stairs and turned, his smile brightening his face and bringing a sparkle to his eyes. "You're safe here. You know that, right? I don't know what it will take, but I will make sure you have everything you need. I promise."

Reaching out Stiles let his fingers thread thought his mate's the contact bringing the link between them into sharper focus and Stiles could feel that Derek meant every word. But that just brought out new questions: exactly what did Stiles need?


	15. Breakfast with the In-Laws

Breakfast with the In-Laws

They were the last to arrive. Derek's parents were sitting at the end of a large table, their hands lightly clasped. The older werewolf's head tilted toward his human mate as he listened to what she was saying with his full attention. Laura and Max sat on the left almost curled in each other's laps. A few other pack members filled in a few of the seats, talking as they waited for the newly mated couple to arrive.

Stiles' attention was immediately drawn to the huge buffet set up along one whole side of the room. He couldn't remember the last time he saw so much food in one place. The smell of eggs, bacon, and other savory choices assaulted his senses as he walked through the door making him stumble for a second.

His erratic movement drew the eye of every wolf in the room making him feel like prey until Derek's body brushed his in a protective gesture. His fear was short lived as all the faces in the room lit up with welcoming smiles.

Laura practically leaped out of her seat to great him with a tight hug and a kiss to his cheek. "Stiles honey. It is so good to see you again. I'm sorry that last night was so confusing. My brother," she smiled as she smacked the back of Derek's head hard enough that the sound echoed, "is a complete idiot. Welcome to the pack."

Stiles didn't even get a chance to mumble his thanks before being swept into Talia's embrace. "He will make you happy," she whispered even though they both knew that all the wolves could hear.

Stiles glanced sideways to see the slight blush on Derek's ears just before the wolf gave his hand a comforting squeeze. Turning he smiled back at the petite blond. "I know he will. I will make sure he does."

Laura laughed, head thrown back and full of abandon. Her mother's laughter was not as vibrant but was heartwarming and rich. Derek's father strolled over and patted Stiles on the shoulder. "You will make him a good mate. He needs someone to keep him grounded, a mate with a good head on his shoulders that won't put up with his crap."

"Dad! You make me sound like I'm an idiot who can't tie his own shoes."

"No, I know you can tie your shoes but you don't have enough sense not to chase your intended through your sister's wedding and mark him in the middle of the dance floor." Sliding his arm around Stiles' shoulder he pulled him away from his son and led him toward the table. "I don't want you to get the wrong impression. Derek tends to be a little hard headed. God knows his mother and I tried. Maybe you will have better luck getting some sense into his thick skull."

"I hear positive reinforcement works wonders." Stiles tried to bite back the words just a little too late as his brain to mouth filter shorted out under stress. Lucky the wolves took it all with good humor and the room once again was filled with laughter.

The group slowly moved toward the buffet table. Having spent the last few months just a mere scrap of bread away from starvation he now stood in front of more food than he could ever remember seeing in awe. It was more than his family's Thanksgivings and Christmases combined.

He stood there with a plate in his hand with no idea where to start. Derek seemed to understand and began to pile food onto Stiles' plate. A large spoonful of eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast and a bowl of fruit were placed on his dish before he was guided carefully to the table.

Stiles may never have eaten with wolves before but werewolf customs and expectations had been drilled into him and every other human from early childhood on. Alphas ate first.

Stiles sat in front of his brimming plate, fingers twisting the cloth napkin into knots on his lap as he waited for the rest of the Hales to join them at the table. They all seemed to move in slow motion as they chatted and laughed their way through the line. The scent of so much food made his stomach clinch in anticipation and he had to swallow twice as the saliva filled his mouth.

Finally the last of the wolves sat down at the table. Derek's father smiled down at his family and pack from the head of the table. His eyes rested fondly on Laura and Max and then on Derek and Stiles. "It is the rarest of gifts that sit with us today at this table; a true mate." He smiled at Stiles before looking at Laura whose eyes had dropped. "But true love is also a rare gift and never to be taken lightly. I am so happy that both my children have found such a love." He lifted Talia's hand and kissed her wrist gently.

He took a small bite of his eggs and then Laura and Derek took a bite of their breakfast. The eggs had barely passed Derek's lips before Stiles was shoveling the food in his mouth as quickly as he could get it on the fork. He finished off the eggs and the bacon and was half way through the hash browns when he glanced up.

None of the others were eating, all just watching him with shocked pity. Ducking his head as his ears went red Stiles let his fork drop to the table and tucked his hands under his thighs. He wanted to crawl under the table and die.

Derek let his hand rub over the back of his neck as he tried to sooth the tension out of his mate. "Would it be okay if I was excused?" Stiles asked meekly.

"Of course" murmured Derek's father and Stiles was out of the chair and up the stairs before his chair had a chance to rock back on all four legs. He buried his face under a pillow and willed the tears of embarrassment to go away. Hearing the soft tread of footsteps and knowing they were purposely made to warn him, Stiles pulled the covers up and over his head.

The smell of cinnamon preceded Derek into the room causing Stiles to peek out from under the covers even before the bed dipped under his mate's weight. Derek placed the plate, overflowing with food, on the bed side table before slipping under the covers next to Stiles.

"Sorry."

"For what?" Derek curled closer, offering a shoulder to lean on without forcing his way into Stiles' space. Crawling over the last couple of inches, Stiles let his head rest on the edge of Derek's chest and wrapped his arm around his waist.

"I'm sure I'm not the type of mate you envisioned having." At Derek's startled intake of breath, Stiles lifted his head and looked down into wide green eyes. "What did I say?"

"Mate. My mate. I love the sound of that. I know humans need more time before the bond sets in and I know that I've done everything the wrong way but I swear if you just give me a chance I can do right by you. I can be the mate that you need."

"You may not think that in a couple of weeks. I talk too much, say whatever goes through my head before really thinking about it, and I can't sit still to save my life. I'm not mousy or quiet and if you think I am going to just do what you say because you are a werewolf and I'm a human, you have another thing coming."

"I don't want you to ever be afraid of me."

Stiles looked down on his mate letting his thumb form tight circles on the tip of his chin as he cupped his face for a soft kiss. The bond tugged at him, trying to pull him closer, binding the two together. "I don't know how I could ever be afraid of you again."

Derek huffed with quiet laughter before pulling Stiles close and tucking his head under his chin. After a few minutes of lying peacefully side by side Derek whispered, "I just wish I could have protected you more. I wish you hadn't been so afraid of me that you ran away from the Pack home where you would have been safe. Just the thought of you living out on the streets, starving and afraid, makes my wolf want to howl and gnash its teeth."

Reacting to Stiles' increase in heartbeat, Derek rolled them both over. Eyes filled with worry, as if his every instinct was screaming at him to find the thing that made his mate smell like fear and anger and kill it, Derek visible held onto his calm by the thinnest of threads and asked, "What?"


	16. SheepMeet Fan

Sheep…Meet Fan

AN: I read and respond to all reviews. I appreciate the time you take to tell me what you like about my story as well as the questions and comments you make. I also listen to the creative criticism that I receive. Some of it I can't change – if it doesn't fit with the story I have already created I can't change it but others things I can definitely change. Some of the most common comments are that 1) my chapters are too short and 2) I'm leaving you with too many cliffhangers and seem to be drawing the story out just to torture the readers.

So…I am attempting to write longer chapters. I am combining some of the chapters into one longer chapter but that means that sometimes there will be two POVs within one chapter. I hope that doesn't bother too many people.

Second…I will attempt not to leave so many cliffhangers. I haven't been drawing the story out on purpose but I can see how my short chapters with nothing resolved can be annoying. Sorry. Plus – I'm hoping that I can start updating more often in the coming weeks. No promises but I will try.

Wow! Long AN. Sorry about that.

His heartbeat raced under his palm, blood coursing through his body as it prepared to fight or flee. Derek tucked him closer, pulling his mate into the circle of his arms as if offered protection and comfort.

"What? Stiles, tell me? Just let me know and I will fix it. No matter what it is, if we face it together it will be okay. Please, Stiles trust me."

"You let them take me back to the Pack Home. You sent me there." Underneath the fear and panic was a note of accusation that Derek didn't understand.

"You were underage. The media would have gone nuts with the impropriety of it all. I wanted you somewhere safe, where I could court you until you were old enough. And then you ran away. It was like I lost you twice that day. Once when you fled into the street and got hit by that taxi and then again when you ran away from the Home." Derek couldn't help the edge of desperation that slipped into his voice, and really, he didn't care if Stiles discovered how much he meant to him. He was his mate and Derek would open his very soul up if that was what was needed to keep Stiles by his side.

"Do you know what the Pack Home is like?" Stiles' voice quivered, sounding tiny and small, unlike anything Derek had ever heard from him.

"Laura visits each home every year. She's in charge of that Pack Home and all the others in the region. I haven't visited in a couple of years but Laura is always showing off the pictures of the children and all the letters that they write her. It's a good place, Stiles. I wouldn't have let them take you there if it wasn't."

Stiles scooted away from him dragging the covers with him to wrap around his body like armor. "You really believe that?"

"Believe that? Stiles, it's the truth. If you had just stayed you could have seen for yourself."

Nodding to himself Stiles slipped out of the bed, covers still clutched to his chest as he moved to the farthest point of the room away from Derek. Derek could feel the swirls of emotion through the bond; fear, anger, rage, loneliness, as well as Stiles' need to get control of them all, so he stayed on the bed and waited.

"I was thirteen when my parents died in a car crash. The HPS came and took me away so quickly that I didn't even get to go to the funeral or even say good-bye. They brought me to the Pack House." Derek's intake of breath caused Stiles to pause and smile sadly in his direction. "Yes, I'd been there before. I haven't been living on the streets all this time. I don't think I would have survived for four years especially when I barely made it for six weeks."

Wanting nothing more than to take the pain away from his mate, Derek started to move toward Stiles but stopped the second he flinched, back pressed against the wall and eyes wide. God, he looked so young.

Derek watched as Stiles took a deep breath, Adam's apple bobbling as he swallowed repeatedly before continuing in a shaky but determined voice. "They took me to the clinic. Not the one at the front of the building that they show the visitors but the real one in the back. I spent three days on a cold table or locked in a little room while they took my blood and ran tests. Finally Director Argent came to see me. He said it was too bad they had found me so late in life. That I wouldn't be easy to mold but he'd try. God, he smiled when he said that."

"Stiles, I don't understand. I've been there. There's nothing like that there. We would have known." Derek reached for his mate but was met by a look of fury that made Stiles' chestnut eyes blaze.

"So I'm lying! Is that what you think? Because that's what they all said when we kids threatened to tell, when we were so terrified of what could happen that we didn't care about the pain of the now, just finding a way to stop what was coming next. They laughed and said that you wolves would never believe us. That we were nothing to you."

Pain ripped along the bond curling up Derek's body and compressing his chest until he could barely breathe. He was across the room, mate gathered in his arms before Stiles had finished speaking, swaying back and forth as he tried to sooth and comfort the young man that seemed to be breaking before his very eyes.

"I believe you. I can hear the truth in your heartbeat, feel it through our bond. I believe you; I just don't understand how it could be true. It shouldn't be possible."

They stood like that for a few minutes, Stiles' body slowly unwinding as his tears soaked the collar of Derek's shirt and Derek trying to keep his wolf at bay long enough to hear the rest of his mates story before rushing off to rend and tear those that had dared harm the one he so very much loved.

Stiles was the first to pull away and Derek let him go, fingers trailing along his arm, curling around the tips of his fingers before letting go. The human moved back toward the bed, once again finding the furthest area of the room from where Derek stood. Understanding his mate's need for space, Derek let himself drop into a chair to watch and listen.

The covers slipped from Stiles' fingers to pool, blue and rumpled, at his feet. Derek could see him tremble as he unfastened the first few buttons of his borrowed shirt to expose his shoulder, the pucker of shiny scars perfectly framed by the rust colored fabric.

"I'm mouthy. I know that. I'm a smart ass and I never know when to shut up. The first time I back talked to the dorm monitor I didn't understand why everyone was suddenly so scared. It was like the room dropped ten degrees. I thought it was going to be like being sent to the principal's office and I had 'been there, done that' so I was cocky and flippant as they walked me down the hall."

Stiles' fingers outlined each scar before removing the rest of his shirt. "I learned to keep my mouth shut after that, for a while at least. But I couldn't stand it when they hurt the other kids. It was just before one of your sister's visits. Charlie was just six and didn't know better. It wasn't his fault that the bowl was too heavy. I told them it was me. Told them that I had dropped it." Stiles turned to show the scars that vined up his back. "I don't think Charlie would have come back from this, sometimes they don't you know. Come back. Sometimes they take them off and we never see them again."

The howl that ripped from his throat took Derek by surprise. He was lost in a swarm of red rage that swallowed him whole and spun him about like an anchorless boat on a storm tossed sea only to find himself, slammed to shore, muzzle to nose with his mate, claws ripping at the plaster on either side of Stiles' head.

Instead of fear Derek saw only understanding in his mate's eyes. The single hand pressed to the fur of his chest doing more to calm him than anything his family had ever managed in the past. Derek felt the fur recede but not the anger, pulling Stiles closer to bury his nose in his scent.

"We didn't know. I swear we didn't know," Derek whispered as he clutched Stiles to his chest. "I swear on my life that we didn't know." This was how the rest of the pack found them, seconds later, as they rushed to respond to the anguished howls that had echoed through the manor just moments before.

Stiles watched from where he was tucked away in the most luxurious chair he had ever seen or felt as Derek raged back and forth across the living room. The Hales had moved the discussion to a large sitting room in the back of the house. It could easily sit over thirty people or more if they didn't mind squeezing in.

Derek hadn't bothered to put on a shirt which was just as well since he continued to lose control of his shift as he paced. The fur rippled up his back and then disappeared in a wave, like the ebb and flow of the tide.

Stiles was trying to decide if he was terrified by the whole thing or horny at the sight of his mate in all his glory. Not for the first time in less than twenty-four hours he was finding himself annoyed at the bond that formed between them. It was hard to keep his thoughts from returning to Derek, the way he moved and looked and smelled, instead on the issues that were important to the here and now.

Derek had said that the bond would settle with time but Stiles didn't like the feeling that he was losing himself to this link with Derek. Not that he wanted to give it up, just thinking that made his heart lurch within his chest, but he didn't want to become a puppet on the end of Derek's string. Someone that parroted what his mate thought and felt. He was his own person and wanted to remain that way.

While Stiles fought with his inner self and the tug of the bond, the rest of the immediate Hale Pack filtered into the large room. As they entered they would tilt their head in acknowledgement to Alpha Darren Hale before giving a nod to Laura. Derek, still twisting between forms, they steered clear of, making sure to leave him plenty of room.

The wolves sat quietly. There was no banter or witty comments to pass the time as they waited for the rest of the pack. The happy feeling that had been so evident at breakfast was gone replaced by a growing tension. Stiles could feel their focus sharpening, waiting for a direction. Swallowing, Stiles realized what he was feeling from the bond. They were preparing for a hunt.

Alpha Hale stood and all attention immediately turned toward him. Derek paused his pacing and settled next to Stiles, sitting first on the arm of the chair and then working his way beside Stiles' body until he was curled in the chair next to his mate.

"I've called the Pack to discuss some serious allegations that have been brought to my attention by Derek's mate." His eyes flashed red briefly as Derek's growl filled the room. "I have no doubt of Stiles' story. I, like you, firmly believe that he is telling the truth. But it is up to us to discover if this is an isolated incident or if it has become more spread. This is serious Derek. And if what Stiles says is true for more than just one orphanage, than we have sorely been lax in our duty to protect those that fall in our jurisdiction."

At the mention of the orphanages Laura leaned forward her dark skin paling giving her a greenish cast. "Father? What about the Pack Homes? I've been in charge of them for years. I visit regularly and have monthly meetings with Director Agent about the care and well-being of the humans there."

Stiles felt a wave of sadness for her, part of it from the bond he shared with Derek, but the rest was solely his own emotional response. He was starting to better understand and read the link he shared with his mate. Derek's emotions almost had an earthy green cast to them while his own were warmer.

Laura had been kind to him that first day, treating him with respect and a calm caring that he hadn't seen from anyone in a long time. Stiles remembered the gently way she held his wrist as she scanned him that first day, there had been no show of dominance or expectations of submission that he expected from the wolves. Even finding that he was the true mate of her brother would not have been enough to sway her ingrained reaction to humans if she had been trying to hide it.

Which meant, Stiles thought with sudden revelation, she hadn't been acting. None of the Hales were anything more or less than how they had been treating him since he crashed their wedding party; kind, caring, loyal, and loving. It turned his long held opinions of werewolves on its ear.

"Stiles?" Derek squeezed his arm softly to get his attention. "Will you tell the pack or do you want me to speak for you?"

Stiles bit back his first impulse to snap at the idea that he needed someone to speak for him, feeling the need to shelter and protect coming from Derek's end of the link. "I have my own voice, Derek. I can speak for myself."

Stiles watched the wolves' reactions as he told his tale of abuse for the second time the only thing keeping him from breaking down and curling into a ball of misery was the constant flow of support and love he could feel pouring down the link.

The pack looked utterly stunned by the end of his narrative, many starting to lose control of their shirt allowing their eyes to glow the eerie blue of a born beta and their claws to score across the tight weave of the armrests.

Laura looked physically ill, clutched to Max's chest as tears ran unheeded down her cheeks. "But I go there every year. I talk to the children, made sure you were protected."

"I remember you coming almost a year ago. I thought it would be funny if I got the other kids to sing, to kind of poke fun of the fact that we never really had enough food. I thought that it would embarrass the Director enough that he would increase our rations while still being cute enough for us to get away with it."

"I remember. You were all adorable. You did an Oliver skit. I even told Director Argent how wonderful I thought the production was. He said he would give you my regards."

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Stiles fought with the urge to yell at Laura. Her view of the events was so vastly different from what had gone on. He knew that if he didn't watch he words that he could twist the guilt she was feeling like a knife, cause her pain in some small retaliation to what he had been made to suffer.

He had blamed the wolves for so long. Had seen them as the enemy, as the ones to direct his hate toward but looking at the pack, the family that had taken him into their home with open arms and a mate whose love and desire to do right by his young human lover practically vibrated down their bond were not responsible for his treatment in the Pack Home.

"Stiles, he told me he would talk to you, tell you how much we loved your performance. He told me he would take my message to you personally."

"He did." Stiles tried to keep his voice as calm and even as he could. There was blame to fall but it didn't belong on Laura's shoulders. "He beat me until I couldn't stand. Once I healed I ran away. I guess it was a good thing because otherwise I would have never met Derek."

"Oh God," cried Laura burying her head in Max's chest.

"That's why you ran?" Derek asked. "It wasn't because you were afraid of me, you ran because you didn't want to go back to the home."

"He had a needle, Director Argent I mean. Said you could never know. I had picked the locks on the cuffs but he came back before I had a chance to run. I kicked him and took off out the front door. I didn't know if I could trust you, didn't know if you would believe me over the Director and he sent all these betas after me and in the end it was just easier to stay hidden until you couldn't just send me back, and stay away until I was of age and safe."

"You would have been safe with me." Derek whispered his face broken with pain and guilt.

"But not until I was eighteen. You even said you couldn't keep me until I was of age."

Derek's body slumped, shoulders dropping as if weighted by invisible forces as his eyes pleaded with Stiles. "Do you think I would only protect you if you were my mate? I'm an alpha. My whole purpose is to protect."

"I know," Stiles soothed reeling from the agony he felt though their shared bond. "You protect those that are your pack and your claimed humans."

"No, Stiles. I would protect all of you. If you or anyone had asked for my protection I would have given it to you."

"That's not what we, humans that is, are taught."

The deeper voice of Alpha Hale broke in for the first time since Stiles had started speaking. "At the orphanage, that's what they taught you at the orphanage?"

"That's what we are all taught," Max whispers from Laura's tight grip. At Laura's look of shock he continued, voice gaining strength with each word. "Those of us that live outside the pack, we are taught from the time we can walk that if we are worthy than we will be accepted into a pack but only the very best will make it. Only the best will be claimed." Laura made a pained sound in the back of her throat, a keening whine that tugged at Stiles' heart. "Why do you think I worked so hard to earn my degree, to be the best? Only the best are even looked at by the packs. Only the best are worthy to be claimed."

"That's not why I looked at you. That's not why I chose you, why I love you. God Max. It's just you. You know that, right? I love you." Max smiled eyes sad and hugged his wife and rocked her gently.

"I know Laura. I know that now but it was a lesson that took years for me to understand and I still feel that need to be perfect so that I can be worthy of staying by your side."

The room was silent once again except for the hiccupping cries coming from Laura. After a few moments Derek pushed to his feet wrapping his arms around Stiles' shoulders. "I don't even know how to begin to fix how the rest of the humans feel about us but I can right the wrongs being done at the Pack Home. I want to talk to Director Argent. I think some things need to be brought to light and some justice needs to be served."

The answering sound from the assembled pack was a deep throated growl that made the fixtures of the room shimmer and shake. Stiles felt safe from the sudden rush of 'predator' that filled the room in the circle of Derek's arms. A small part of him questioned the fact that he felt no pity for the shit storm that Director Argent was about to face but he pushed it down and away, knowing that the old man was finally going to get what he deserved.


	17. Well, Crap

Well, Crap…That was not what I expected.

Stubborn, pig-headed, defiant, and unreasonable. Apparently his mate was all that attached to a mouth that wouldn't shut up and wrapped in a body he just wanted to lick Derek thought as he watched Stiles cross the length of their room his arms creating elegant patterns as he talked and talked and talked.

"So if you think for one second that I am staying behind because I need to be protected, you can just find me another room to sleep in." Stiles finished his tirade with a huff and turned to stare at Derek waiting for his reply.

"Are you threatening to withhold sex if I don't allow you to endanger yourself?"

"Fuck no. We'll still have sex but I won't be sleeping with you afterwards. No cuddling, no scenting me in the middle of the night, or anything else. I'm not some damsel that needs protecting Derek. I lived there for four years. You can't leave me here because I'm not staying!"

Derek tilted his head as he tried to work out exactly what his mate meant. "Stop that," hissed Stiles. "Looking all cute and sexy will not make me forgive you. I'm going with you and that's final."

"Fine."

"And if you try to stop me I will find a way to get there on my own. I'm… wait…did you just agree?"

Derek rumbled deep in his throat, letting his eyes flash briefly to show his displeasure but Stiles stood his ground and even curled his lip in a small smile. "Yes, I agreed with you. I'm not happy about it but you have the right to come along and I shouldn't stand in your way. Just please listen to me. You don't heal like the rest of the pack and you don't have our strength. Will you at least promise me that you will listen for your own safety?"

Stiles bit the inside of his lip in thought as his eyes narrowed on Derek. "I can do that. I promise to listen to you when it comes to my safety as long as you don't try to make me sit out in the car with the windows cracked or something. I want to be there and see that assholes face when our pack comes to make him pay for all the lives his ruined. Watching you tear him a new one shouldn't put me in any danger."

Derek curled his arms around his mate's back and over his shoulders, pulling them closer until their foreheads rested together, breathing in the younger man's scent before kissing him. It started out gentle, a soft peck, almost chaste but as soon as Stiles let out a little moan of pleasure Derek deepened it. Nips to slightly parted lips gave way to a sparring of their tongues until Stiles grabbed a fist full of Derek's dark hair and forced his head back, taking control of the kiss as he pushed Derek into a nearby chair.

By the time they broke apart, both men were breathless and panting. "Okay. Not that I am complaining or anything but what brought that on? I mean besides my shear hotness."

Derek huffed holding back the chuckle that curled in his belly and let his teeth scrape along Stiles' jaw line before answering. "You said 'our pack'. It's nice that you are starting to feel like you are one of us. I was afraid that you would try to keep the rest of the pack separate, not let the bond settle fully."

Stiles ran his hands through Derek's hair making it spike in the front before brushing it back down. "There's a lot you and I are going to talk about after we deal with the Pack Home. We are going to sit down and you are going to explain this bond thing to me fully."

"Most of it is just instinct," Derek whispered as he leaned into Stiles' touch.

"Which I'm sure works for werewolves but I'm human so I will need a little more explanation. As much as you can give me." Stiles cupped Derek's chin and looked into his eyes before adding, "I'm going to need you to talk about werewolf things with me and not just expect me to know what is going on inside your head. Okay?"

Derek nodded and barely held back the whine as Stiles stood up. He could still feel the heat from where Stiles had touched him resting his own hand over the area as if he would hold onto the warm just a little longer.

"So how much longer until the rest of the pack is ready to …" A howl cut Stiles off making him shiver. Derek immediately stepped forward and rested his hand against the small of his mate's back to reassure him. "I'm guessing that means we are all ready to go?"

"Yes," Derek's wolf pushed its way to the front of his mind responding to his father's call. "It's time to hunt."

Stiles grinned, wide and bright, into the red blaze of his mate's eyes. Derek expected to smell a trace of fear from the young man but was surprised to find him smelling of eager anticipation and satisfaction. "Then let's go corner our prey."

Turning Stiles strode out of the room looking confident. The borrowed clothing was still baggy on his too thin frame but he held himself with a self possessed poise that made Derek smile. His mate was one to be reckoned with and the Argents had made a poor choice of enemies.

Derek followed Stiles out onto the front porch. The sun blinded him momentarily before he slipped on his dark glasses to protect his eyes. Stiles stood with his hand shading his face, watching as the cavalcade of dark vehicles pulled up to the front of the house.

Each car bore the pack standard, a dark blue flag with the wolf courant proudly displayed. All twelve cars pulled to a stop and their drivers jumped out to open the doors almost simultaneously.

Derek moved toward the first car with Stiles falling in step behind him. His father reached the door just before him and turned with a confused look on his face. "I doubt there will be danger because they are not expecting us, especially not in force, but don't you think Stiles would be safer staying behind with your mother and Max."

"Stiles has just as much right to face the Argents as Laura, even more so. He wants to be there." Derek squared his shoulders ready to stand his ground for his mate.

"Stiles can speak for himself," grumbled his mate from behind his shoulder before he pushed his way passed to face Derek's father. "I need to be there, to stand in front of Gerard Argent and make sure he faces the consequences of his actions. I'm not staying behind and I don't need to be treated like I'm helpless. I can take care of myself. I've been doing it for years and just because Derek decided to bite the hell out of my shoulder, thanks for that by the way," he half snarled over his shoulder at Derek. "Doesn't mean I'm suddenly helpless and fragile."

Derek made a choked sound in the back of his throat, waging a war with himself on whether he was proud of his mate for standing up for his rights and beliefs or dying of embarrassment as his lover back-talked the most influential Alpha in the region.

Darren Hale nodded eyes serious as he looked at his son's mate before breaking out into a full smile that took years off his appearance. "My apologies Stiles. It is your right to be there." He motioned for Stiles to enter the car first, holding the door open and waving him in with a flourish. Turning to his son and taking note of his reddened ears his smile became even wider. "You have your hands full with that one son. I don't know if I feel envy or pity."

"Hey," called Stiles from inside the car. "I may not be a werewolf but I'm not deaf."

"Pity." Smirked Derek's father as he slid into the car.

The front gates of the Pack Home opened slowly as the cavalcade of cars approached as if trying to delay the pack with their slow creaking swing. Stiles' leg continued to bounce up and down, increasing speed as they came closer to their destination. Derek rested his palm on Stiles' knee, not applying pressure or trying to stop its movement but just so his mate knew that he was there to lend his support. He could feel the wave of relief and acknowledgement flow down the link.

"This is the first time I've seen those gates and not been afraid. I want to make sure that no child is ever afraid here again." Stiles' knee stilled and he covered Derek's hand with his own, linking their fingers together as he leaned into Derek's warmth.

The car came to a stop in front of the ornate front doors. They were all helped out of their cars and starting up the wide steps before one of the staff, a young man that Stiles remembered seeing work the front desk came scurrying out the door to greet them.

"Alpha Hale! This is a surprise. I'm afraid that Director Argent was not aware of your visit and has been called away on another matter. The children are at the school house but they should be heading back soon. Would you like to wait?"

"No," Alpha Hales voice was low, commanding, and made even Derek want to lower his head in submission. "We want to look around at everything. I've heard some disturbing news and I want answers. Now." The last word rumbled out sending the human stumbling back before turning and fleeing into the building.

The pack followed. Derek, Stiles and Laura stayed with Alpha Hale in the main hall as the rest of the pack split in different directions to investigate the premises thoroughly.

Stiles moved toward the back of the entry way to where the clinic was located. They were half way down the large showy room, flanked by smiling pictures of children, when a flustered Nurse Kelly stumbled out from the clinic as if pushed. Having three sets of angry alpha eyes focused on you was enough to make an innocent person sweat and Nurse Kelly wasn't anywhere near innocent.

Stiles smiled as he sped up his steps to reach the frightened nurse first. "Hello, Nurse Kelly. Do you remember me? I was here a couple of months ago for a check-up with Director Argent and Dr. Marren. I was telling my mate how nicely they treated me here and he insisted on thanking them both in person."

Derek let himself smile at the satisfaction that rolled off Stiles in waves assaulted his senses. He's mate was proving to be stronger than he could ever hope. Derek had worried briefly that Stiles would charge in, railing about the injustice of it all, wanting them to snap and snarl without the benefit of proof against the staff of the Pack Home but instead Stiles had been calm and patient, if not just a bit gleeful at the evident discomfort of the employees he had run into so far.

"Dr. Marren will be with you shortly. I'm afraid Director Argent is not in today." The nurse was becoming paler every second, her nervous swallows clear to his heightened hearing as was the frantic beat of her heart.

"Pity." Sighed Stiles. "Is Mrs. Argent in today? I'm sure Alpha Hale, Alpha Laura Hale that is, would love to speak to her about the running of the Pack Home."

Nurse Kelly started to visibly tremble, her hands blurring with tension as they pressed against her chest. "She didn't come in today either. I will go check on Dr. Marren." She turned and practically ran back through the door. Stiles followed at a slower pace with the rest of the alphas following him into the clinic.

"So, is there a way to make a distinction between you three? Are you just Alpha Hale, Alpha Hale, and Alpha Hale or is there like an Alpha Junior or something." Derek shook his head lightly but was starting to understand Stiles' need to ramble when he was nervous. His extra energy had to go somewhere and apparently his mouth was directly connected to his nervous system.

Derek was saved from having to try to explain by the entrance of an older man, hair graying at his temples but still rich and thick, who calmly walked toward the three alphas.

"Madam Alpha Hale, it is such a pleasure to see you again. I wasn't expecting you so soon after your last visit. To what do I owe the honor of your presence?"

Derek could feel the wave of disgust from his mate as well as the scent of distrust and anger that thickened his scent. "I guess you owe me the honor of her presence. I've told them how you treat the kids here. They know everything now."

Dr. Marren turned bland eyes toward Derek's mate and extended his hand. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure of meeting your acquaintance young man. What brings you to the Pack Home for Humans?"

"I think you should rename it 'Home for the Abused and Abandoned Humans.'" Stiles growled. Derek wondered briefly if it was a side effect of their bond or if his young mate had always growled and snarled so convincingly.

"I'm sorry young man. I don't know what you are talking about. I have worked here for over ten years and all our charges here at the Pack Home are taken care of with the highest standards."

Derek, along with his father and sister, tilted their heads as they listened to the beat of the doctor's heart. There was no up-tick, no stutter that indicated a lie. "He's telling the truth." Laura said looking at Stiles.

Derek immediately stepped forward, eye flashing at his older sister for even the slightest hint that she might be doubting Stiles' word. He could feet the churning mix of emotions roll down the link from Stiles; anger, fear, confusion, and a hopelessness that Derek wanted to make sure his mate never felt again.

"You were here. When I was brought here a few months ago, you were in the clinic with Nurse Kelly. You left as soon when Argent came in with the syringe. I saw you!"

Dr. Marren turned sad eyes toward Stiles. "I've never seen you before in my life young man. I don't know why you would bring charges like this against my clinic and the Pack Home but whatever compensation you are trying to cheat the Hales' out of you will find you will not receive a penny of it."

"He was there!" Stiles turned to Derek, eyes pleading for him to believe. "I swear, he was there. I've told you the truth."

"I believe you." Derek pulled Stiles in close resting his head against his mate's shoulder. "I can hear and feel the truth of your words. I don't doubt you but Dr. Marren's heartbeat isn't changing. He's telling the truth too."

Stiles pushed away, slamming his fists into Derek's chest in his fury. "Then he's figured some way to trick you. They've figured some way to lie to you and you don't even know it. You are all so sure of your senses that you will never look or smell beyond them."

Eyes bright with un-shed tears Stiles turned back to the doctor. "The rest of the Hale Pack is taking an unsupervised tour of the grounds. Maybe you can lie to what the pack hears but I bet you can't lie to what they can see and touch."

Paling, for the first time since he walked into the room, the doctor looked uncertain and almost afraid. Derek noticed his scent changing, the cloying scent of fear and panic filling the air. Laura stepped forward into the doctor's personal space, her eyes tracking the beads of sweat that had appeared on his upper lip and brow.

"Strange. You smell of fear and your body, cold sweat and pale skin, scream of it and yet your heart beat has not changed. It remained steady this whole time. I think that's really strange, don't you Derek?"

"You would listen to a street rat's lies over my word?" The doctor's words held a note of distain and arrogance that made Derek see red. No one would speak about his mate in that manner. Reaching out he grabbed the doctor's shirt to pull him closer to growl a warning about respecting an alpha's mate. His hands closed around fabric and thin wires that snaked beneath his shirt.

"Father, take a look at this." The older alpha stepped forward and looked over his son's shoulder as he pulled apart the doctor's shirt to reveal a set of wires that connected to a metal clamp above the man's chest and down to a small pack worn at the back of his waist. The entire system was so compact that no one would have known it was there if Derek had not grabbed the man.

"What is this?" Pulling it away, the wires snapping off and the pack falling to the ground to bounce and clatter until it stopped at Stiles' feet, Derek's father leaned in close as he voice deepened with command. "You used this to shape your lies into truths?"

Dr. Marren hung limply in the alpha's grip the whites of his eyes showing and his fear and cowardice evident in the sudden wetness and ammonia smell coming from his pants.

Tossing the wretched man away from him, Derek's father turned to Stiles with eyes full of regret and sorrow. "They've lied to us. Stiles, oh son, I'm sorry." With a gentle hand he pulled Derek's mate to his chest in a tight embrace. "I swear, we will make this right."

"Good to know. Can't breathe here." Stiles' words sounded flippant but Derek could feel the confusion coming from his mate; the need for acceptance and hunger for family conflicting with his anger at how he had been treated while under the Pack's care.

"You blame us." Derek didn't speak it but the thought was strong enough that his mate picked up on it. Stiles eyes widened with shock. He took a step closer and linked his fingers with Derek's.

"No. Well, yes. You didn't do this but if we were under your protection you should have done a better job. Dropping by once a year is pretty shitty protection if you ask me, which you kinda just did."

Laura's head was down, tears evident on her cheeks. "I'll make this right, Stiles. I promise."

The rest of the pack started to file back in from their various directions, all tense and agitated. In whispered voices they reported their findings to Laura and her father while Derek pulled Stiles off to the side a bit.

"You don't need to shelter me. I lived here, I know what they found." Derek rubbed his mates back in small circles, offering what little comfort he thought Stiles would accept at this point. "So. Is reading each other's mind part of this whole true mate thing? Because I'm not too thrilled about the idea of you knowing every little thought that crosses my mind."

"Truthfully, I've never heard of a bond being strong enough for that to happen but there haven't been any true mate bonds in the last decade. They were rare in my father's time but these days they are practically legend."

"But they weren't always so rare? What changed?"

"I don't know. None of us do."

Stiles hummed, he's eyes taking on that far away look that Derek was beginning to associate with his mate's deep thinking. Derek immediately took the extra weight as his mate leaned back into his arms, wrapping his arms around the thin human as his pack laid out their evidence of mistreatment that had gone on beneath their noses for years.

Pressing closer to Stiles, Derek promised himself that he would do whatever was in his power to make this better, to heal the chasm of distrust that Stiles felt for werewolves. The Hale Pack had failed these children but Derek would be damned if he failed Stiles.


	18. Breaking News

Breaking News

Stiles lay stretched out on the couch as his mate's family moved restlessly around the mansion, each talking to a different pack, spreading the word of what they had found. Stiles was more than just a little angry that they were more worried about the device that allowed humans to lie to them than they were about the children that had been so horribly abused.

"That's not fair," grumbled Derek from the doorway.

"What's not fair?" Stiles asked not even bothering to turn from the program he was watching to face his mate.

"I can feel the anger pouring off of you. We are treating the children as our top priority. We have sent in some of our top betas to all the homes we run, alerted other packs so that they can make detailed inspections of their orphanages, and we are making sure that those children harmed by the Argents get all the care they need to recover."

As he spoke Derek moved closer to his mate. Stiles bent his knees so that the older man could sit next to him before resting his feet in the wolf's lap. "It just seems you are all more interested in that weird pace maker thing than you are worried about the children."

"Stiles," Derek placed his hand on his knee and turned to fully face his mate. "While the orphanages are a huge part of this, the ability for humans to hide their lies from us is an enormous problem. If they use this to lie about orphans than where else have they used it? Humans are in charge of most of the day-to-day runnings of all our companies. We have placed our trust in them with almost every aspect of our lives and now we discover that they can lie to us. Stiles, you have to see how devastating a blow this discovery was to all the packs."

Stiles shrugged not quite ready to admit that Derek might have a point about the wolves' concerns. "Humans get by on having to trust people without being able to hear their heartbeats."

"But humans so very rarely truly trust others within their business circles. How many people do you trust with your life, Stiles? How many can you give over your most important decisions with a firm knowledge that all will be well? We thought we could do that until today."

They sat there in silence. How many? Stile though. He had trusted his parents. But he had to admit to himself even the children in the home, those boys that faced the same abuse day in and day out, he would be hard pressed to trust with his most important secrets. Humans were raised to doubt others' words, knowing from an early age the ease in which one could lie. How hard it must be for the wolves, who never learned that lesson, to find out how easy it could be for people to lie to them.

"One," Stiles answered at the commercial break.

"What?" Derek cocked his head in what Stiles was beginning to think of as his confused puppy look.

"You asked how many people I trust with my life. The answer is one. It's you, I trust you with my life."

Red swirled around the edge of Derek's eyes as his hands slid up Stiles' legs until they reached his hips. The next things Stiles knew he was sitting in Derek's lab while his mate kissed the breath out of him.

Twining his arms around Derek's neck, Stiles shifted until he found a comfortable position. His mate's legs were shapely and very muscular but they didn't make the best cushion material. He ended up with a knee on either side of Derek's hips, his ass resting on the wolf's knees as he deepened the kiss.

They stayed that way for a while, just kissing slowly and letting their hands explore the other's body with gentle touches. Stiles was just about to suggest heading upstairs when he caught the sound of his own name coming from the television. He untangled himself from Derek and turned to watch.

A vapid blond wearing the red collar showing her allegiance to the Cooper Pack came on screen. Behind her was a picture of Stiles and Derek from the night before. Derek had his arms around Stiles, a look of shear desperation on his face while Stile looked pale and shocked. The cake in the background was starting to topple over toward them.

"Crap," growled Derek reaching for the remote but Stiles pulled it out of his grasp before he could change the channel.

"The fashion world watched in awe last night as Alpha Laura Hale, heir to the leadership of the Hale Pack one of the most influential Packs in the nation, tied the knot with her boyfriend of less than six months in a lavish ceremony on the Hale estate."

"Max Cardwell, a relative unknown until he caught the eye of Alpha Hale, was an unbounded human until he met Laura. They fell in love in a whirlwind romance that set the tabloids on fire." A series of pictures of Max and Laura flashed across the screen.

"Laura's going to be pissed," Derek rumbled pulling Stiles closer to his side. "She's been trying to get them to stop running those pictures for months. Stiles could see why. In most of the pictures the difference in the two lover's station was blatantly obvious. Max wore faded jeans and shirts in most of the pictures while Laura was always dressed in the height of fashion.

"But the wedding of the decade was eclipsed by another event." The blond continued with a fake smile and dead eyes.

"Oh God!" whispered Derek hiding his face with both hands.

"Rumors of Derek Hale's life mate have been swirling through society for the last month. The Hale Pack has down played the reports that Derek had barricaded himself in his room as an attempt to get better control of his wolf when his mate went missing, having presumably run away to avoid their joining. While there have been numerous occasions in the past that have illustrated Derek Hale's struggle with his alpha position he has never gone into seclusion before and the theories flew among many social circles."

Another half dozen shots of Derek in different stages of wolfing out where shown ending with Derek in full alpha form standing between Stiles and a ripped taxi in front of the Gibbous Café."

"I have with me today Alan Deacon, human/wolf relations expert and author of 'Human Betas and their Importance in Today's Society'. Thank you for joining us Mr. Deacon."

The dark man gave a soft smile and nodded as the reporter continued. "When looking at the photos that have come out," a picture of Stiles being herded by wolves back toward Derek came up behind the two, "we can see what looks like real fear showing on the young human's face. We've always been told that a true mate bond is some magical binding between human and werewolf but truthfully Stiles doesn't look like he was agreeing to this union. How can you justify Derek Hale's actions?"

Derek had frozen his body stiff and unmoving on the couch as he watched the report but at that statement his claws ripped a large gash in the armrest of the couch.

"You go through a lot of furniture around here don't you?" Stiles chose to be amused by his mate's distress over the news report. They both knew that Derek had handled all aspects of their joining in the worst possible way but their bonding was strong enough to overcome Derek's shortcomings.

Not that Stiles wasn't planning on holding it over his head for a while to come.

"You're asking me to base much of this on speculation but historically an alpha would not outlive the loss of his or her true mate. Their classics are filled with tragedies where the werewolf pines away and dies with the death of their mate. Even with our recent history you can see the tragic outcome of an alpha losing his mate."

The blond glanced off stage and then placed a hand to her ear bud as she responded to an obvious prompting from off screen. "Are you referring to the bonding of Alpha Brice Cooper and Darla Argent that ended the war between the Weres and the humans?

"Yes, if not for their union the werewolves would not have stopped their attacks and the humans would have lost the war. But when she died in a car wreck eight months later, Alpha Cooper stopped eating and slowly lost control of his wolf. While there are no clear reports on his cause of death many including myself have come to the conclusion that he either committed suicide or had to be put down by his own pack for the safety of others."

Stiles pressed himself a bit closer to Derek's side. "Would that have happened to you? Would you have lost it like that?"

Derek nuzzled against Stiles' neck running his lips and nose around the mating mark but never directly touching it. "You saw how I was. What do you think?"

"Fuck." Stiles pulled Derek down until the wolf's head was resting in his lap. Derek rolled so his face was against his mate's abdomen and relaxed as Stiles stroked his hair. "I guess that's how he knew."

Derek hummed a little in question. "How Gerard knew to run. He must have had people paying attention for things like that and me showing up at Laura's wedding wasn't exactly subtle."

"No," Derek chuckled. "We were not subtle at all."

"So how does this relate to Derek Hale?" The blond asked in a perky voice that in no way conveyed the seriousness of the interview subject pulling Stiles back into the program.

"If it was a true mate bonding, and from what I've seen it is, the fact that Derek Hale had been without his mate for over a month must have pushed him into a state of despair. Considering there were so many other wolves and non-pack alphas on his territory and near his mate, I'm surprised that he handled it as well as he did. Yes the young man was scared and, by all means, someone should have stopped Derek before he claimed his mate so publicly but he didn't attack any of the guests and aside from the chase, the mating was relatively gently."

"That's a load of crap," Stiles grumbled pulling Derek's hair to get his attention. "You know it hurt like hell, right?"

"I'm sorry. I wound never purposely hurt you if I could help it. The mating mark is necessary to complete the bond between us. There was no other way."

"It still fucking hurt."

They were interrupted by a young beta with curly brown hair. "Alpha? There's a few packages that have arrived for Stiles."

"Is there a reason your wolves won't talk directly to me? Am I beneath their notice?"

The beta flashed a grin in Stiles' direction. "Mostly it's because we're all afraid that Derek will take it the wrong way and try to bite our heads off but it's also a sign of respect."

"Isaac," Derek rumbled in warning but Stiles was already heading across the room to meet the wolf.

"Packages for me? Where did they come from? Don't just stand there, take me to them." Stiles gave Isaac a push out of the room and followed behind him. Derek rolled off the couch and trotted to catch up.

Stiles came to an abrupt halt once he reached the front entry way which was crowded with a multitude of boxes. They lined the sides of the hallway stacked two to three high in some places.

"Holy shit!" Stiles couldn't help but stare, opened mouth with shock, at the mountain of packages. "What is all this for?"

"People have started sending mating gifts for you. I'm sure there will be more soon. Considering your mating was quite a surprise most people won't have had a chance to send a gift yet. Plus they won't let anything mailed arrive at the manor until it's been checked by security these days."

"All these are for me?" Stiles was stunned. It was like his birthday and Christmas all wrapped up together and put on monster steroids.

"The human traditionally gets all the gifts. These days, like with Max and Laura, some progressives send gifts that are for the couple but they are still addressed to the human half of the bond."

Tentatively at first but then with the growing enthusiasm of a boy opening Christmas gifts, Stiles unwrapped the packages in a flurry of paper and packing peanuts. Derek and Isaac kept track of the cards, noting the gift on the back of each. Wolves were anything but impolite.

There were clothes of all styles and colors, silk sheets, and fancy knick-knacks that Stiles had no idea what to do with but most of the gifts were the royal blue of the Hale Pack. Pulling open a box containing a bassinette Stiles turned to Derek in confusion. "They know I'm a male right? Is there something you NEED to tell me? If so, the answer is NO, hell no, no way NO. I don't care what magic pill you werewolves have, I am not having a baby!"

Derek's eyes widened for just a second before he all but collapsed by Stiles in a fit of giggles. Giggles? Stiles had to smile at the image of an alpha wolf reduced to giggles in the middle of the hallway. Even Isaac was chuckling as he continued to pick up the paper and foam peanuts that were spread far and wide.

"I don't know what they are telling you Stiles but male wolves don't have babies and we don't have a magic pill. Most, if needed, employee a surrogate to carry their babes to term. When you are ready we can discuss it further but I am not ready to share you with anyone else just yet."

Stiles leaned over and kissed Derek's laughter warmed lips. Joy looked good on his mate's face and he found he wanted to keep it there for as long as he was able.

The three were almost to the end of the mountain of presents, an air of happiness filling the hallway, when Stiles opened a small brightly wrapped box. Inside laid a collar made of rich blue leather and backed with creamy satin. Around the circumference it was lined with large radiant cut diamonds.

Stiles vaguely heard the pleased gasp that came from both Isaac and Derek as the blood drained out of his face and his chest seemed to freeze between on breath and the next. The collar hung limply in his hand as he turned to face Derek.

"Do you expect me to wear this?" Stiles asked his voice deceptively light.

"It is a gorgeous collar." Derek smiled. "Who sent it? We will have to have them over for dinner or something."

Stiles was on his feet and striding away from Derek without even conscientiously planning to move. He heart pounded in his chest along with the blood that thrummed in his temples.

"You expect me to wear this!" Stiles snarled as he turned to slam the offending collar against Derek's chest. "Am I your property now? Do I belong to you? Where's the ID tag in case I get lost and someone needs to return me so I don't get taken to the pound." Stiles could feel the angry tears that threatened to spill over burning in his eyes.

Derek looked horrified. "No! You're not my property. It's a style that humans have chosen to show their loyalty to their pack. No one forces them to wear it. We all just figured that because humans can't scent who belongs to what pack they wanted something to show which pack they were affiliated."

"Right, so humans just decided to wear something that makes them look like they are owned, like they're property just so that we could tell which werewolves we belonged to? Does that really make sense? Why not a pin? Or even a fucking class ring? Why would we want to wear a collar?" By the end Stiles was screaming, tears running down his face as Derek and Isaac stood dumbfounded by his outburst.

"I swear to you Stiles on our bond that no werewolf has ever demanded that one of their human betas had to wear a collar. My mom doesn't wear one and Max has never felt the need to wear one. If you don't want to wear it, then don't wear it."

"God Derek," Stiles groaned. "That's not the point. A collar implies ownership. Do you think you own me? That I am somehow your property now?"

"Shit." Derek looked like he had been struck by lightning. He backed up until he almost tripped over a discarded box. "No. Hell no! That's all backwards Stiles. In a bonding between an alpha and a human, it's the human that has the power. Once we finalize our union then all my holdings become yours."

"What?" Stiles once again found it hard to breathe.

"There has to be a balance when humans and Were's mate. The wolf uses his strength to protect the home while the human uses his ability to create a haven for his mate and takes care of everything else. That's the way it has always been."

"Oh," Stiles felt like he had just tumbled down a well and everyone was very far away. "I think I need to sit for a little bit." Turning he walked back to the room where the TV was still playing and fell back into the couch.

Derek and Isaac exchanged glances and seemed to have a quick discussion with nothing up their eyebrows and a couple of frowns. With a final dramatic circling of his hands, Isaac left Derek and disappeared down the hall. Derek slunk into the room and cautiously approached his mate.

"Do you want me to return the collar?"

"No," came the exhausted reply. "Just put it somewhere that I don't have to look at it."

Derek quickly tossed it to the far side of the room and slid into position next to Stiles who leaned his head against him almost immediately. "It's kind of scary how much humans don't understand about their own rights with you guys. Why wouldn't we know things like that? Is there a rule book somewhere that I never got a chance to read because if there is I really want you to get me a copy?"

"I don't know what to tell you Stiles. Except for my mother I didn't know many other humans until Max and then you. You all seem to keep your distance from alphas. The only humans I have really ever spent time with are turned betas but they don't really count."

"Doesn't that just seem really screwed up to you? It's like there is a big piece missing to a puzzle and no one seems to realize it."

Stiles could feel his mate thinking, the turning of ideas and thoughts in his brain echoed the lapping of waves that he could remember from a childhood trip to the ocean. Tucking his head closer to his mate's warmth Stiles let himself be soothed by Derek's gentle stroking while he tried to figure out why everything was so very broken in the world.


	19. Information to File Away for Later

Information to File Away for Later

He woke to the feel of his mate curling closer into his side, Stiles' arm flung across his stomach and his knee was resting over his thigh. There was no change in Stiles' heartbeat to indicate his mate was waking up so Derek just pulled the younger man a little closer and continued to doze.

His mate smelled of sunshine and coffee which wasn't surprising from the amount of it he had consumed the day before. Stiles had smiled apologetically after the fourth cup and mumbled something about self medicating. It had taken Derek a few minutes before he could get the full story.

"I'm ADD. Stimulants have a weird effect on me. A lot of times they will help calm me down where as normal people would get all revved up. It helps me think, helps my brain stay focused. When my parents were alive I was on medicine for it but the Pack Home just thought I needed discipline."

Stiles had cut off with that remark, looking down and away. "They punished you for a condition you couldn't control." Derek asked softly.

Shrugging his shoulders as both answer and evasion Stiles joked, "I learned to sit still in chemistry. I wrote this awesome essay that should have been an A+ except I wrote about history instead of chemistry." Any other questions Derek might have asked about chemistry or ADD were silenced when Stiles leaned in for a kiss, quickly followed by a mad shuffle for the bed and a way out of their clothes.

But now with him snuggled against his chest with the morning light starting to peek through the window, Derek had a chance to think of what he knew about his mate.

Nothing.

Aside from his name and the fact he was a very resourceful orphan that was quick on his feet and mouthy, Derek had no personal knowledge of the man he was going to spend the rest of his life with. It was a bit disconcerting to say the least.

"I can hear you thinking." Stiles' breath tickled his chest as he spoke.

"You can feel me thinking through the bond?"

"No, your eyebrows brush up against each other. It's very distracting." Stiles looked up and smiled at Derek's look of shock. "I'm joking. You know that, right? I can't really hear your eyebrows but they are very expressive." His fingers danced over them as he spoke before sliding downward and across Derek's lips.

Stiles rested his chin on the center of Derek's chest and looked up at his mate with honey colored eyes. "Why are you so serious this morning? We have another," he gave a bleary glance at the alarm clock, "two hours before we have to be doing anything important. Your father said they wouldn't be able to get all the files on the kids and staff until then."

"I wasn't thinking about that. I was thinking about you."

"Really? I was thinking about you too." Stiles smiled before sliding lower in the sheets letting his fingers trace Derek's abs until they found the beginning of his happy trail where they paused to play and tease. "What exactly were you thinking about?"

"Doesn't matter. I'm only thinking about one thing now." Derek mock growled as he rolled his mate beneath him.

Stiles let Derek control their love play for a few minutes before pushing at his shoulders to roll him over. Derek watched through lidded eyes as Stiles ran his hands over the smooth plains of his body before reaching over to the night stand and pulling out the tube of lube.

"Can I?" His mate asked, his eyes suddenly hooded and uncertain.

"Yes," Derek's hips thrust upward bouncing Stiles a little as they did bringing a happy chuckle from his mate's lips.

Stiles moved down until he was resting between Derek's legs, warm moist mouth touching him with tantalizing kisses and slow languid licks that made Derek arch and beg. The feeling of pressure and stretching as Stiles slowly worked in the first digit did nothing to slow the pleasure he felt.

Stiles was inexperienced but with the help of the bond found every part of Derek's body that made him come apart. By the time his mate was lining up to enter him, Derek had become a quivering mass on the bed.

Wrapping his legs around Stiles he urged him closer. "Please," Derek moaned as Stiles leaned in for another kiss. "Now. Stiles now!"

Derek could only gasp and pant for breath as Stiles slowly worked him open, each thrust going a little deeper until he was completely seated within Derek. "Is this good? Are you okay?" Derek bucked his hips in response, driving his mate just a touch deeper before forcing him to slide out. Stiles laughed and tightened his hold on Derek's hips.

It took Stiles two thrusts to find Derek's prostate and then his mate seemed determined to hit it straight on every time afterwards. "Derek," he groaned. "God, Derek." With a shudder he came bringing Derek over the edge as his orgasm flowed down the link.

Together they lay in bed as their sweat cooled on their bodies, neither wanting to be the first to pull away.

"I love you," Derek whispered breaking the silence. Stiles pulled back as if struck by an electric current.

"You don't even know me." His eyes had more white than honey brown showing with shock.

"I know enough to know I love you. The rest we will figure out with time."

"Derek, I don't know YOU." The wolf looked at his startled mate and smiled as he tried to reassure him.

"Like I said, we will figure it out with time. Take all the time you need, Stiles, I'm not going anywhere." Derek scratched at the cooling mess that covered both of them and smile sheepishly. "Except maybe the shower."

Stiles hummed and burrowed deeper into the covers as Derek left the bed. "Save me some hot water," he mumbled before falling back asleep.

Derek let Stiles sleep. After his shower he went downstairs and piled two plates full of breakfast adding a couple of cinnamon rolls to the top because he noticed that his mate had a sweet tooth.

By the time he made it back upstairs the shower was running. Derek could see his mate under the stream of water through the open door and stood, mouth ajar, for a few minutes and just stared in wonder. His mate, while much too thin, had strong shoulders and long legs. His ass was firm and shaped so perfectly that he had the urge to bite it.

"Could you had me a towel or do you plan on drying me by the shear heat of your stare alone?" Smiling over his shoulder, Stiles turned off the water and opened the shower door. "Next time you should just wait for me. We could conserve water and have some fun at the same time."

"I don't think it's considered conserving water if we stay in the shower three times as long." Derek sais as he handed over a dark blue towel. Stiles quickly dried his hair and chest before wrapping the towel securely around his waist.

"You brought me breakfast?"

"I was going to let you sleep in some more." Derek pulled a small table closer to the bed so they could both place their plates on it as they sat on the bed together.

"Once you left I couldn't get comfortable. I missed your body being next to mine." Derek couldn't stop the grin that broke across his face at that. He nudged Stiles with his shoulder and received a quick kiss in return before Stiles took most of the bacon off his plate as well as the rolls.

"Alpha?" Isaac's voice called from outside the room. "The files you and Stiles have been waiting for have just arrived. Laura is already in the office going over them if you would care to join her."

Derek followed Stiles down the stairs and into the small office. Laura was already poring over the files from the Pack Home looking for some information to explain why the children there had been treated so horribly.

Derek pulled a chair around for Stiles and made sure he was comfortable before getting himself situated. Stiles grabbed a stack of files from the middle of the desk and divided it between the two of them. Derek couldn't help but sigh at the faces that looked out at him from inside the files, each child with a fake smile and saddened eyes.

"They have a strange color coding system that I can't work out." Laura pointed out. She had arranged the files into different piles based on the color on the label.

"All the orange ones are boys and girls on the same side of the House as I was. All the boys were in my dorm and the girls shared meals and school time with us. All the other colors are from the other side. Those are the ones that were shown off and pampered."

Derek flipped through the files with rainbow colored tags; blue, red, purple, dark green with happier looking children on the inside. These children didn't have the haunted eyes that the orange group had, their eyes held a true expression that matched the smiles on their faces.

"Look, my file has a blue sticker on the inside next to my name. Do the rest of the orange files have different colors on the inside." It took just moments for the Derek and Laura to confirm that all the orange files had colored tags that matched the tags from the other side.

"So why did they separate us out like that. They seem to have picked a color for us and then just made us all orange."

"What do the other colors all have in common?" Derek asked.

"They were all in the nice side of the Home. Those are the kids that went on the trips and played on the playground outside. I never knew what I did wrong that I couldn't get to do some of the things they did. Maybe that's why I'm in the orange group, maybe that's the defective pile."

Derek growls and pulls Stiles close. "There is nothing defective about you. Nothing."

"You're just saying that because of the bond. I'm ADD, mouthy, annoying, I say whatever goes through my mind.."

"and you are perfect just the way you are."

Laura rolled her eyes. "You two are going to give me cavities. You're just too sweet."

"Right because you and Max were so demur when you were first started dating."

"Please! I didn't have my hands all over Max at every moment of the day and I definitely didn't screw him on dad's desk."

"Oh God!" Stiles moaned burying his head in his hands. "This is your dad's desk. I'm never going to be able to look at him over the breakfast table again."

"You may have not used THIS desk but you and Max have christened almost every other room in the house. Which reminds me – my room is off limits!" Derek continued over Stiles' bout of shame.

"What's all the shouting about?" Max soothed walking in. He handed Stiles a cup of coffee before passing one to Derek and Laura. He leaned over and kissed his wife on the cheek before turning back to Stiles. "What are they yelling about? You get used to it after awhile. Any day ending with Y is 'Hale sibling argument day'. I find it easiest to just leave the room until they remember they are adults."

"They're arguing about which one of us couples are the most sickening sweet."

Max hummed happily as he sat beside Laura. "I think we have a good head start. You will really have to start working on it if you ever want to catch up with us." Noticing the blush that stained Stiles face and ran down his neck, Max took raised his hands in mock surrender and reached for a stack of files. "What are we looking for?"

"We don't know," Laura grumbled. "We are just looking for patterns, something to help make since of all this."

"Well, all these colors correspond to influential packs in North America but that's probably just a coincidence."

Stiles flipped back to his chart. "It's a weird one because my color is blue."

As soon as Stiles put his chart back down, Derek picked it up and started to read through it. It had more information than seemed necessary for a Pack Home file, containing detailed information from even before Stiles' parents' death. Reading about the tragic car wreck that killed both Stiles' parents he stopped short.

Dragging a pile of files he had previously checked back over he reread their information eyes widening as he noticed a startling trend. "Max? What is the probability of all the children at the pack Home having both parents killed in car wrecks?"

Tilting his head in thought for a second, Max answered, "That's statistically impossible."

Derek opened chart after chart pointing out the common portions to his brother-in-law who turned paler with each new file.

"What does that mean?" Stiles asked in a small voice.

Deep inside Derek had the beginnings of an idea but was not ready to share it until he had more information. Pulling Stiles into a hug he tried to comfort his shaking mate.

Max continued to flip through the charts of the personnel that had worked at the Pack Home. "All the staff working for the Argents were vetted by Pilak. There files show recommendation letter for them to become turned betas that were approved which means these ex-staff members are working for many of the packs across the nation. I don't understand how such abuse could have gone undetected for so long."

Stiles shrugged. "I guess nobody cared."

Laura growled low which made Derek all tense and protective in turn. Max ran a calming hand down Laura's spine. "I thought that for a while too but the longer I've been inside the pack the more I realized that it's not that they don't care, it's that they don't know."

"What do we not know?" Laura asked with her brows furrowing. Stiles hid a smile in his cup of coffee at the sight. Laura's brows might be shaped by the best salons but they still managed to convey emotion in the same manner as her brother.

"The packs are so removed from humans that you don't have any idea how we think or feel about anything. The only humans you're around are either those haughty, stuck-up, collar wearing brown-nosers or 'the help'." Max air quoted with a sniff. "And they're too terrified of werewolves to do more than bleat out a 'yes or no ma'am'.

Laura looked at Max like she was seeing him for the first time. "You've never said anything before. Why are you just telling me this now?"

"Because I though you knew and God help me I was so glad that you loved me that I didn't care about anything else. I've struggled for so long to pull myself up, to find a job that could take care of my family and give us all the break we needed. And no one would look twice at me. I was top of my class and because I wasn't collared I wasn't good enough."

"I was your ticket to social promotion." Laura looked devastated.

"No! Laura, I love you. You damn well know I love you. But I never said ANYTHING because I wasn't about to rock the boat. I'm not brave like Stiles is and I don't have the luxury of the true mate bond to shield me."

Derek felt sick as he watched his sister and Max fall apart and front of him. He wanted to say something, to stop this wreck before it drove them apart but he could only sit and helplessly watch as the chasm between them seemed to grow wider.

"See!" Stiles grumbled to his coffee cup. "This is why to world is so screwed up. Humans don't trust the wolves and wolves don't know enough about us REAL humans, not the fake collared ones, to know a good thing when they have it. If you ask me True Love trumps a true mate bond any day. You have to choose love and only an idiot would throw something like that away."

"I know neither one of us is an idiot. And I would do anything to be by your side." Max sat on the desk in front of Laura and rolled the chair she was sitting in closer to him and tilted her chin up. "What about you?"

Putting his cup down Stiles turned to Derek and smiled. "One day I'd like to have both."

"Both?" Derek could only swallow sharply as Stiles crawled into his lap.

"Yeah. True love and a true mate bond. I think we are getting there don't you?"

Derek rumbled contentedly while Laura allowed herself to be pulled into Max's arms to sooth away the pain and hurt. Pressing another kiss to Laura's head, Max staged whispered, "I think they may be gaining on us," which earned a laugh from Laura and a groan from Stiles.

This is the essay that Stiles wrote in chemistry class...notice it is not written on the topic of chemistry.

There was a war of sorts – The wolves call it The Conflict of 1912. Humans refer to it when werewolves are nowhere near as The Shifter War. The war was started by an attack lead by the humans. They rationalized it by saying that the wolves were encroaching on their territory and turning humans into betas without consent. The werewolf retaliation was swift and brutal. By the end of the first year, the humans on all fronts were in retreat. Hundreds of thousands of humans were displaced and forced to live in refugee camps that had little food and water and hardly any medical supplies.

Camp Mule Shoe was over-run by the Larger Pack in the fall of 1915 when the wolves took control of Texas and most of Oklahoma. Most humans outside wolf territory thought they had all been killed and it wasn't until after the war that it was discovered that the wolves had taken them all in, giving much needed medical treatment, ample food and clean water supplies. Most of the humans from Mule Shoe swore that the wolves had cared for them better than when they were under human protection. When looking at the mortality rates from the camps, Mule Shoe had the lowest death rates and most of those were documented from before the wolves took over the camp.

In July of '16, the Cooper Pack defeated a battalion lead by Samuel Argent. His eldest daughter was one of the commanders. Brice Cooper had an immediate reaction to meeting Darla Argent and claimed her as his true mate. This lead the Cooper Pack to begin cease fire talk which ended the war by the end of the year.

Brice Cooper wed Darla Argent in a lavish wedding on Jan. 1st 1917 which the papers heralded as a new beginning for human/wolf relations. In order to better integrate the two societies, Brice Cooper appointed Samuel Argent as head of his Pack's holdings.

Within six months the Cooper Pack had begun to lead the way in many innovations. To this day there are few packs that can claim the same respect as the Cooper Pack.

Sadly, Darla Argent (wolves take the human's last name along with the pack name – so Brice became Brice Argent – Cooper) was killed in a freak automobile accident when her car swerved off the road and into a deep ravine. Brice was distraught, more so since he had given her the car as a gift. He never forgave himself and died of pining within a year of her death. There exists no solid evidence of how Brice Argent – Cooper died but most historians believe that he was most likely put down by his own pack when he started to lose control of his wolf.

The funeral was a worldwide event and millions of humans and wolves came to show their respects at the massive wake that was held for an entire month.


	20. Having a Blast

It had been two days and Stiles still didn't have any more answers. It was frustrating to say the least and Stiles was never one to say the least when he could grumble a whole mountain's worth instead. Not that Derek and Laura weren't trying but Gerard Argent, sneaky rat bastard that he was, had hidden his tracks well and had just disappeared off the face of the earth.

Stiles wished him to Hell but then, he reasoned, the evil SOB would just take over and really start to cause trouble. The image of Gerard with little red horns and a pitchfork made Stiles snort with amusement, breaking him out of his momentary funk.

"You know the pack is going out of their minds trying to figure out what you are thinking about." Max moved almost silently compared to Stiles who could out stomp a dance troop as he moved about, his almost brother-in-law was a ninja.

But Max's statement threw him for a loop. "Huh?" Stiles responded. Yeah, he thought, how eloquent was that?

"Your expressions. You show everything you are feeling on your face. You've got a good portion of the pack watching you through the windows trying to figure out what you have going on upstairs."

Stiles leaned over to look back at the windows behind Max's shoulders. The wolves moved quickly back but they had been made. Super wolf spies they were not. "Uh…guys…that's kinda creepy." He said knowing they could hear his every word. "Unless you are in a teenage romantic drama you shouldn't be lurking around watching a guy just sitting on the lawn. Dudes, next time just come out and sit with me."

The door opened and Isaac and a smaller female beta came out to join Stiles and Max dropping to sit on the edge of the large blanket spread across the grass. "Sorry," Isaac smiled without looking apologetic at all.

"You guys are weird." Stiles mock growled at the unrepentant wolf.

"You get used to it. They followed me around in droves when I first started dating Laura. At first I thought they were tailing me to make sure I was good enough to date one of their alphas," Max smiled and patted Isaac on his leg at his blurted 'that's not why' of denial and continued. "After a few months I learned that they just like our scent. Having a human around makes them happier."

"You smell nice." Isaac shrugged trying to explain as Stiles looked at him in confusion. "You're relaxing."

"Like comfort food," smiled the female beta.

Stiles threw his head back in laughter. "Being compared to edible substances is not quite the compliment you think it is." Seeing the blush that covered the young beta's cheeks Stiles added, "But I understand what you mean Ames. But I don't understand why, if we are so comforting to you, that wolves don't have more humans around. Doesn't make a lot of sense."

Ames shrugged a delicate shoulder. "Humans don't seem to like us. Most of you smell of fear and terror. So we stay away. You and Max don't." The four sat in silence for a while watching the clouds float by as they focused on their own thoughts.

"The waiting is driving me nuts." Stiles let himself flop backwards. "There's no new information?" Even with the whole pack focused on finding the Argents and trying to decipher the meaning behind their strange color coded files, there had been no new developments about the Pack Home. There were too many coincidences to be ignored but all leads just seemed to go nowhere.

Isaac and Ames shook their heads as he looked over at him. "I know Derek will tell you as soon as something new is found." Isaac promised.

"What you need is to get out of here for a while. I'm heading to the city for my checkup. You can come with me and we can get some lunch and talk about life among the wolves."

Stiles readily agreed. Max was becoming one of his favorite people. He was calm and full of interesting stories and information. Plus, his being human made life with a pack of wolves a little less intimidating for Stiles. "I'll have them pull a car around for you." Isaac offered rising with an easy grace to his feet. It was almost like watching someone levitate, he didn't use his hands or even shift his center of gravity to get his feet under his body. One second he was sitting and the next his shadow was falling across Stiles' face as he offered him a hand up.

"Do you have your own car?" Stiles asked as the wolves walked toward the house. He had a sudden vision of driving a sleek sports car around the curves that lead to the Hale Manor. He thought he would look good in red but given that blue was the Hale color he would most likely have to settle for something in that shade.

"The pack has been a bit over protective with the latest Human First attacks. They insist on driving me wherever I go these days. Laura feels safer if there is someone watching out for my well-being."

"Uh…paranoid much?" Stiles' dream of a sports car shriveled and died. He would be stuck in the back seat being chauffeured about like some little old biddy. He mentally added that to the list of things he and Derek would be discussing in the future.

"They have their reasons. There have been two attacks just this month. The violence has Laura on edge and letting someone drive me around is an easy way to make her feel better."

"It also sets precedence where you just follow her orders no matter what. By the time you start to stand up for yourself it's going to be really hard to break this pattern."

Max nodded but didn't seem upset by the idea. Stiles just couldn't imagine letting someone else just dictate his life but maybe that was why he was always getting into trouble, he was too stubborn, too hard headed. "Do you still want to go with me into the city?"

"I'm always willing to eat." Stiles followed Max through the house and out the front door to where Isaac had directed the car. A huge wolf held the door open for Max but stopped Stiles with a hand on his shoulder.

"Does the alpha know you are going out?" The beta's voice was a deep rumble which sounded intimidating but the kindness in his eyes made it impossible to be afraid.

"Nope! Didn't know I needed his permission. I'm his mate not his property." The beta tilted his head one way and then the other as he processed Stiles' flippant response.

"No," he agreed. "But maybe you could let him know so when he finds you gone he doesn't…" The beta tapered off looking a little embarrassed.

"You mean so he doesn't go alpha-shit all over the place when he can't find me. Fine." Pulling out his new cell phone Stiles dialed the only number he had saved. Derek was still in some meeting with the alphas from other packs so he knew it would go straight to voice mail. "Hey, Derek. I'm going to lunch with Max in the city. Don't eat the betas while I'm gone. Love ya!" Hanging up Stiles looked at the phone in awe. He hadn't meant to say that last part but it didn't make it any less true.

The smug smile of the big beta's face was all the confirmation Stiles needed to know that he had spoken the truth. He was in love with Derek Hale. And worse, he said it for the first time over the phone. How the hell was this his life?

The ride to Zillarrezko was smooth. The pack's cars were lush beyond Stiles' wildest dreams. It was the first time he had been inside one and he spent the first fifteen minutes of the drive playing with the multitude of buttons and checking out the mini-bar. By the time he was done there were small Hale Pack flags flapping in the breeze created by the AC jets that Stiles had set to arctic and the driver was looking distinctively yellow eyed as the middle divider shimmied up and down to every "ho hey" sung by the Lumineers.

"How did you and Laura meet?" Stiles had been wondering about that since watching the news show about their wedding, the one that he had crashed so spectacularly a few nights ago.

Max leaned back as a huge grin spread across his face, his love for the alpha seeming to shine from his very pores. "It wasn't anything as exciting as you and Derek's meeting. I didn't run her down or cause a major traffic jam when we first met."

Stiles felt the heat spreading across his face and knew he was blushing. "I didn't do it on purpose."

Max chuckled and rested his hand on Stiles' shoulder. Stiles was beginning to see how the pack had influenced Max. Wolves were much more physically affectionate and touched each other at every opportunity. Stiles had always been tactile, hugs were awesome in his opinion and should have their own month in celebration, but most humans didn't like to be touched by those not in their immediate family. It was strange to see people touch others without any sign of unease.

"I know you didn't. I shouldn't tease but Laura must have told that story fifteen times that night before Derek received the phone call about you running away. And now that you are safe and sound, I'm sure she will be pulling it out to rile Derek up any day now."

"So how did you and Laura meet? Come on, it's only fair that I have some ammo as well."

"I had been interviewing at all the pack companies hoping to get an entry position. You know how having pack credentials can really open door and even something as lowly as a coffee boy or gopher would have paved the way for me later on."

"But you are like some sort of genius or something. I heard Laura bragging about you. You should have had your pick of jobs."

Max lifted one shoulder, neither agreeing nor denying. "I was coming back from an interview in Denver. I had scrapped together every last penny to get a plane ticket and was pretty devastated by being turned down again. I still don't know why. I was more than qualified for the position. I still wonder if I messed up on the ethics test that all the major firms give to candidates but I've always thought of myself as an honest and moral person so I don't know why I would have scored poorly on that."

"It's their loss. They will probable kick themselves in a few years when they realize what they missed." Max gave Stiles a faint smile before turning away. Stiles tried to be patient and wait for the older man to return to his story. Within seconds his knee was bouncing with his restraint and he blurted, "Was it love at first sight for you?"

At first Stiles thought Max wouldn't answer and just continue to stare out the window as the scenery became filled with the bustle of the outer city. "At first I was too scared to feel anything. I was boarding my plane to head back, feeling more defeated than I ever had in my life. I was thinking that the best I would ever be able to be was a shift manager at a fast food joint that all my schooling and all the hard work that I had put myself through was going to just turn to ashes."

"I'd already been bumped from two different flights. The Packs don't realize how little respect un-claimed humans get out in the world. Most places are run by turned betas or the claimed and the rest of us…"

"…get treated like garbage." Stiles finished as he nodded. "It's weird. When I was hiding I met a younger alpha and he told me how much he liked humans but all the wolves I've ever met have seemed to hate me at first sight."

"The turned," Max agreed. "I've noticed that as well now that I am on the inside but how many un-claimed humans get to experience the inside of a wolf pack?" The silence was just reaching that uncomfortable point when Max started back up with his story.

"I had an economy class ticket, basically one step up from cargo, and was the last to board. Laura was sitting in first class and I noticed her as soon as I walked by. But who wouldn't, she is stunning. She looked at me as I walked passed and I couldn't even remember to lower my eyes, I was caught by her gaze. It wasn't until the stewardess directed me to my seat that I realized I was just standing there staring at her."

"The stewardess gave you a kick in the ass you mean." Stiles translated from polite Max speak into what most likely occurred with a cocky grin.

"Hmmmm. Well, yes. But it wasn't until then that I remembered to drop my eyes. I made it back to my seat and buckled in without anything else happening so I thought all was well. The plane had even started to taxi out when the pilot came back to where I was sitting and asked me to come with him."

"That would make me want to crap my pants."

"Eloquently put, Stiles but yes, I was feeling rather terrified. I was hoping that at best I was being thrown off the plane but in the back of my head I was convinced I was going to be carted off to jail for offending the Pack. I was half way to a nervous breakdown by the time he brought me to Laura's side. She smiled and I just melted."

"So love at first sight."

"More like gut wrenching terrifying attraction but close enough. Laura requested the pleasure of my company and the rest is tabloid history." The car had been idling curbside as Max finished the rest of his story. Max smiled at the driver for waiting and opened the door to step out on the curb.

By the time Stiles had slid across the seat the driver had made it around to hold the door properly and hover protectively over both humans. "It's like an overly muscled umbrella." Stiles whispered to Max as he followed him through the revolving doors of Zillarrezko, one of the biggest medical companies in the nation.

Max was met in the lobby by a tall blond man with startling blue eyes. He greeted Max warmly before introducing himself to Stiles. "Welcome. I'm Chris Venator." Chris wore a collar of thin blue leather with gold threading. Stiles tried to discreetly look at all the people that hurried busily through the main lobby of Zillarrezko.

He had never seen so many claimed humans in one place before. It was a bit shocking to see humans dressed as fancy as the packs, walking with their heads held high. He was mostly used to people like himself who kept their heads down in order not to attract the wrong type of notice from the betas that seemed to be everywhere. Turned betas, Stiles corrected himself mentally. He was discovering that there was a marked difference between turned and born wolves.

"I've been monitoring your recent blood work and I think we might need to up your dosage. I would like to slowly work you up to double the amount over the next couple of months."

Max paled. "Chris I'm not really comfortable with the side effects. Are you sure there isn't another treatment for this?"

Chris shook his head and continued toward his office. "My assistant will be with you shortly. We need another blood sample today as well. I need to get back to my work but I wanted to check in on you and let you know about the increase in dosage. You will call me if you have any questions."

Without even giving Max a chance to respond Chris left the room. "You're sick?" Stiles asked bluntly.

"It's a blood disorder. They caught it when I was twelve. I just had preventative shots twice a year until I met Laura. Then I had all the best doctor's looking at me and creating specialized treatments geared just to me."

Stiles couldn't help thinking angrily about the difference in care the wolves received. Nobody had really cared until about Max until he was Laura's boyfriend and then, suddenly, he was important enough to have people look more deeply into his health and well-being. The other half had it easy.

"I feel the same way." Max said as he noticed Stiles' displeased frown before he leaned back in his seat to wait, crossing his legs at the ankle and wrapping his arms around his stomach as if to hold himself together. "I went from waiting in line for half a day until some overworked nurse came by to stick my with a needle to having my own team of doctors working on ways to counteract my condition and all I ever did was fall in love."

"With an alpha."

Max was saved from having to respond by the arrival of the nurse who apologized profusely for the delay. Blood was drawn and Max was given a shot of a surprisingly purple viscous liquid before being escorted back to his waiting car.

"Be sure to eat something. Preferable something high in protein." The nurse advised as she waited for them to enter the car.

"The steaks at Ululate are divine. I think that's all the protein I would need. Stiles when is the last time you had a good steak dinner?"

"I don't think I've ever had a good steak dinner. I was always more of a hamburger guy when I was a kid and then there wasn't a lot of steak at the Pack Home." Stiles regretted mentioning that as soon as he saw the flash of pity in Max's eyes. He was starting to hate that look. "But steak sounds awesome!"

The nurse shut the door and gave the car a double pat as it pulled away from the curb. Stiles turned to wave good-bye but she had already started to hurry away down the street and around the corner. Stiles had just a split second to wonder about her actions before the entire side of the car erupted into flames.

There must have been an explosion but Stiles couldn't remember hearing it just the feel of the car as it lifted up into the air before spinning in a gut clinching roll that sent both humans slamming into the opposite side of the car before tumbling to the ceiling and back like pennies in a dryer.

Stiles' ears were ringing but his brain still supplied the tinkling of the glass that moved in slow motion around him as the car flipped again. Derek would pine, he thought, and Laura too. Without lifting a finger against a wolf someone could wipe out an entire pack because without Laura and Derek to lead the pack as alpha, they would be forced to disband and merge with other packs with the death of Derek's father.

With a long slide that Stiles couldn't hear but felt though his teeth the car came to rest against a building. Stiles could see the faces of people inside from his position against Max's door as he looked outward through the moon roof. Their faces seemed to be made solely of O's as they silently screamed and flailed about.

His shoulder flared with pain and Stiles shifted to try to get some relief. The warm sticky liquid under his hand didn't register for a moment and then he realized that it was Max's blood. His scream for help died on his lips as the driver ripped the door from its hinges and reached in to pull Max out. Stiles was able to clamber to his feet, the glass popping and twisting under his weight, before the driver came back into view to haul him to safety as well.

The blood from Max was already starting to pool around his lower body. Stiles tore the shirt off and pressed it to the wound on the older man's legs praying that it hadn't hit an artery. "Talk to me Max. You have to talk to me. I need you to stay with me because if anything happens to you Laura will go out of her mind. She can't go on without you."

Max's face was pale and shocky. "Not her true mate. She'll be okay. She'll be okay." Stiles eyes blurred with tears as Max continued his chant that Laura would be okay. The blood clung to his hands, its thick wetness gleaming in the sun making it look like he was wearing a pair of dark red leather gloves.

Hands grabbed his shoulders pulling him away from Max's side and Stiles fought back until his driver wrapped him in his strong arms and pulled him away from the paramedics that swarmed around Max. Within moments they had him prepped and on a stretcher in the back of an ambulance.

Stiles sat on the sidewalk with the blood slowly drying and flaking off his hands his own medics asked him questions in faraway voices and moving mouths that didn't match up to any of the sounds he was hearing. It was like watching an old kung-Fu movie, he thought as they lifted him on his own stretcher and wheeled him into the back of the second ambulance.

The oxygen mask that the paramedic kept placing over his face made Stiles Closter phobic and he kept pushing it away, the rush of pure oxygen chilling his nose hairs. "Sir," said the far away voice of the young man with the golden collar. "You need to stop fighting me. I'm trying to help."

Stiles nodded and clung to the edges of the stretcher, counting each of his breathes as the sounds of the siren and the hiss of the machines surrounding him slowly came into focus. It wasn't long until the ambulance came to a halt and Stiles was wheeled through the sliding glass doors into the emergency room. Most of the staff seemed to be franticly converging on a room down the hall and Stiles knew it was where Max had been taken. He craned his neck, twisting to see but was taken into a smaller side room without every catching a glimpse of his friend.

Friend. An icy fist clutched at his heart. He hadn't really had a friend in so long and he didn't want to lose one now. His mind flashed back to the nurse's face as she shut the door behind Max, she had worn the caring smile to perfection until the last second when her mask had slipped and her smile had become more of a snarl.

Stiles was good with faces and he would make sure to remember hers.

AN: Yes! Chris is really Chris Argent.

Wanna play a game? What do the claimed-human run companies have in common? So far we've had Pilak and Zillarrezko. I'll have to come up with some sort of prize for whoever figures it out…I don't think it will be THAT hard.


	21. Fractured Moments

Fractured Moments

Through half lidded eyes Derek watched as Laura masterly turned the conversation back to the situation at the Pack homes. Many of the other alphas were still upset about the rash of attacks by Humans First. Derek had to agree that it was a pressing matter that had to be dealt with but Laura's reasoning was strong.

"The attacks by Humans First are something that is under investigation, there is no action required on our part as alphas yet. We don't have a target; we don't have a real motive or reason behind their actions. All we can do is react at this point. The Pack Home situation is completely different. We must take action NOW. There is no time to waste on discussion and laying blame. These are children under our care and as alphas we must do everything in our power to keep them safe."

Even though he tried to focus on the meeting, he found himself thinking more and more about his mate that he had left at home. Stiles amazed him at every turn. The human had been abused for so long yet remained open hearted and kind.

Derek loved the way he stood up for his beliefs and was willing, no matter how his heart might stutter with fear, to speak his mind. Shifting a little in his seat Derek tried to NOT think about how Stiles had looked that morning as he left him lying, sheets draped low on his hips, spread across the bed.

His mate seemed to take up more space than his body had mass. When he was awake he was in constant motion, hands flying as if he could paint the air with his words and thoughts, fingers twisting and spinning as they played with fabric, skin, or Derek's favorite his mate's bottom lip. All these things added up to a bundle of energy that made Derek's skin tingle with want and need.

Asleep Stiles was oddly still but managed to take up space just the same. He would sprawl across Derek's chest, head resting against his shoulder and Stiles' leg thrown over his thighs. If he had the bed to himself Stiles would stretch, arms and legs spread like a starfish on the shore with his head tucked under a pillow and the sheets a tangled mess across his lower body.

Less than a week had passed and Stiles had become Derek's whole world. His every breath seemed to be focused on the human, his wants and needs foremost in his mind. Derek felt the bond starting to settle, the pressure to claim and protect no longer so urgent but still there like the warmth of the sun on his skin.

"I think we need a true wolf on site of all Pack Homes," demanded Laura. Many wolves were in agreement but the human representative frowned and shook her head.

"Having a wolf on site will traumatize the children. I don't think it would be in their best interest to expose them to a beta after they have had such a hard time." Many of the wolves nodded sadly accepting the fact that humans seemed to fear them immensely.

"I think given the chance to know a true wolf they would get over their fears quickly. Both my husband and Derek's mate are humans."

"But Derek has the bond between he and his mate that soothes away the fear."

"That doesn't explain away Max. He was nervous around me at first but once he got to know me all the fear went away. I think we should send in a beta, one that enjoys children and give them a chance to get use to having a wolf in their mist. If they are still afraid after a week or so, we can always pull the beta back out."

The human representative looked like she had just sucked on a lemon but could not argue with Laura's logic and nodded her unwilling acceptance. Many of the wolves perked up at this information and murmurs of who to send stalled the meeting for a short period.

Using the lull in the meeting for his own advantage Derek turned his phone on and immediately noticed a message from Stiles. Smiling, feeling invigorated at just the thought of hearing his mate's voice, Derek played the message.

"Hey, Derek." Stiles' voice was cheerful and sunny and a couple of the wolves near him stopped their conversation to eavesdrop on the message. With werewolf hearing Derek was used to not having a private conversation but he found he wasn't even willing to share the sound of his mate's voice with strangers and lifted the corner of his lip in warning. His response was an amused chuckle but at least they pretended not to listen.

"I'm going to lunch with Max in the city. Don't eat the betas while I'm gone. Love ya!" Derek's heart almost burst from his chest with that unexpected declaration and he found himself cradling the phone in his hand, staring at its colorful screen, while the rest of the alphas smiled at him with smug, amused looks.

"Just save it." Laura snapped trying to get the meeting going again. "Then you can listen to it again and again with that goofy smile on your face until the end of time."

The rest of the meeting could have lasted for five minutes or five hours, Derek had lost all sense of time as he replayed in his mind again and again the sound of his mate declaring his love for him. Tonight, he promised himself, he would make everything perfect for his mate.

The meeting was interrupted by one of the Hale betas who entered without knocking and hurried to Laura's side. "Alpha, you need to take this call now." Hearing the panic in the beta's voice Laura stood and excused herself from the meeting.

The door had barely closed behind her when Derek heard his sisters wail, "Oh God, Max!' He was on his feet, the door a shambles behind him as he rushed to his sister's side. Face streaked with tears she pulled him close and buried her face against his chest. "There was a car bomb. He's been taken to Ulv Nade Hospital."

Derek could feel the blood leaving his face as he paled, leaving him cold and trembling next to his sister. "Stiles went with him today." He managed to force through numb lips. Together the two siblings rushed to the car as it pulled around the front, driver already aware of the situation and need for speed. Still Derek wanted to run, to leap over the cars that blocked their way, ignore the lights that slowed them, and cut across buildings and fields to reach Stiles' side. Dear Lord, he prayed, let my mate be okay.

Laura's breath hitched and skipped as she choked on the sobs that managed to escape her. She clung to Derek's arm and drenched his sleeve in tears. Derek remained silent; the only clue to his inner turmoil was his pale features and the tightness of his lips. His eyes told another story, filled with terror and rage at the people behind the attack.

We will hunt them, his wolf whispered. Hunt them like prey.

As they passed Zillarrezko Derek could see the damage down the street. The pack car lay on its side pressed against the glass wall of another building. The bottom of the car was a charred mess but the reinforced passenger cab seemed intact except for the door that was torn off its hinges leaving a gaping hole in its side.

Derek pulled Laura closer so that she wouldn't see out the window. He didn't want her to see the darkening pool of deep red that was spread on the cement next to the car. Humans didn't heal like wolves; the loss of blood could mean their end.

Holding his sister close, Derek found himself in a horrible dilemma, wanting so desperately for the blood not to be Stiles' and hating himself for hoping it was Max's. Pressing lips to his sister's temple he prayed that both humans were alive.

The glistening walls of Ulv Nade Hospital came into view as they turned the next corner, Boyd's bulk plainly visible standing at the ready by the front door. As the car pulled closer Derek could see the burns and tears that covered the betas clothing though his body had long healed the wounds to flesh.

Derek had the door open and was stepping out before the car finished coming to a stop. "They're both alive," Boyd blurted. Derek sagged in relief at the news.

"Tell us everything." Derek commanded taking Boyd by the elbow and dragging him into the building with Laura hot on his heels. "Start with what floor they are on."

"Max is still in surgery but the doctors said that he got here in plenty of time and there will be no lasting damage except for some scarring. The cut was deep but didn't hit the artery. Stiles is bruised and has a slight concussion. He has a few cuts from the glass but he is resting in room 412. I've got betas watching over both of them."

"Take Laura to surgery so that she can see him as soon as he gets out. I'll be in 412." Derek pulled Laura in for a tight hug. "Will you be okay?" Laura managed a wet nod and pulled away.

"I'm fine baby brother. I'll look after my mate, you go look after yours."

Elevators were hell-beasts, Derek decided as the number slowly changed from a one to a two. All hospitals smelled of disease and cleaner but here it seemed to be concentrated in the slowly moving box. The two humans that had stepped into the elevator with him quickly escaped as the door opened at two and the nurse waiting to go up a floor with her elderly patient opted to take the next car.

By the time he reached the fourth floor Derek knew his eyes had gone red. The tips of his claws caught on the fabric of his pants snagging and pulling out threads from the weave. He had his hands on the door, helping them open faster, at the soft bing of the elevator doors.

Nurses and patients turned to look and then stepped away, pressing against the walls to get out of his path as Derek stormed down the hallway. One brave nurse in a bright floral print scrub pointed him down the correct hallway before slipping back behind her desk.

The door to room 412 was closed and two betas stood on either side of it. Derek could hear the sound of two heartbeats in the room as well as a host of machines that beeped and whirled in the background.

The scent of Stiles' blood, faint though it was, filled his nostrils and made him snarl with the need to protect. The heavy door slammed open, swing back until it crashed into the wall. The nurse who was checking Stiles' vitals froze in terror.

"Hi Derek. You need to calm down so you don't scare Laurie. Hey, Laurie." Stiles smiled at his nurse, open and easy, full of charm and good humor even after all that had happened today. "Don't mind my mate. His all 'grrr, snarl' on the best of days but he really is a sweet heart."

"Except when you're hurt." Derek growled before pulling it back a notch and adding, "The idea of losing you makes me…"

Stiles finished the sentence for his mate while smiling once again at the nurse. "All 'grrr, snarl' but on him it looks good. Laurie, could you give us a minute? Thanks!" As soon as the nurse was out the door Derek had Stiles wrapped in his arms, checking him over for any wounds the doctors might have missed.

His mate was covered with bruises and small cuts from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet. There was a smallest lump on the side of his head just above the right eye and his lip was busted and swollen. Derek struggled with the urge to just scoop his mate into his arms and take him back to the Hale house where he could guard and protect him from any and all danger.

"Derek, you're growling and your eyes have turned red again. There's nothing here to fight or kill. I'm okay and Max is okay."

"I don't like it here. You're too exposed. I can't protect you."

Stiles let out a long sigh and rested his head against Derek's chest letting his hand run lightly up and down his mate's hip. "You shouldn't need to protect me in a hospital but after today I can see why you feel that way. My doctor said I could go home as long as somebody was there to watch me. I apparently need to be woken up every hour to make sure my brain isn't scrambled."

With a kiss that made the monitors tracking Stiles' heart beat pick up speed, Derek started the push needed to get all the paperwork filled out and signed so he could take his mate home. Fifteen minutes later Stiles was sitting in a wheelchair on the way out of the hospital.

"Amazing how fast they are willing to go to get rid of a riled up alpha wolf. You always complain about humans being afraid of you but as soon as you are around them you get all glow-y eyed and furry. Not a good way to make friends Derek."

Derek pushed Stiles along the hallway, his two betas leading the way and making sure the hall was cleared of all danger. Derek could feel Stiles' emotions through the link. Even though he was acting carefree and flippant on the outside, inside was an emotional turmoil; fear and worry, anger and confusion all jumbled up together.

"We need to stop and check on Max before we go." Stiles reminded him for the third time. Derek had the betas watching Max keep him updated on his brother-in-laws progress but he had agreed as soon as Stiles had first asked. He needed to support Laura as well.

They arrived just as the nurses were placing Max in his bed. The older human was still out from the surgery but they were all assured that he would be awake in less than an hour.

"Everything went perfectly, Alpha Hale. The cut, while jagged and very deep, missed the femoral artery. There was some muscle damage which we were able to repair. He will need some physical therapy to keep the scar tissue from tightening up and causing a permanent limp but other than that you can expect a full recovery."

Laura sagged against Derek in relief. The nurses and doctor finished with Max and hurried out of the room leaving Stiles to deal with both emotionally distraught wolves. "Did either one of you think to call your parents? Someone needs to let the rest of the pack know everyone is okay and you could use someone up here with you Laura."

With a groan at his own stupidity Derek pulled out his phone. With a teary smile Laura hugged Stiles pulling him half way out of the chair. "Gotta breathe here sis!" Laura released him and pulled a chair so that she could sit by Max, folding his limp hand in her own as she pressed kisses against his forehead and cheek.

"They're on their way. They hadn't even been informed of the attack yet." Touching his sister on the shoulder Derek asked, "Do you want us to stay with you until they get here?"

No longer able to hold back her sobs of relief, Laura nodded and clung to Derek as she cried. Stiles rolled himself closer so that he could rub his hand along her back knowing that touch soothed the pack.

Derek's eyes lingered on his mate his pale skin even whiter against the gown they had made him wear. The bouncing of his mate's knee increased as the minutes ticked by until Stiles could remain silent no longer.

"He told me how you two met on a plane. He said it was "gut wrenching terrifying attraction" at first sight." Laura let out a teary bubble of laughter at that.

"It took me almost ten minutes to convince the flight staff that I didn't want him arrested or thrown off the plain because of some perceived insult. That I just wanted them to move him up so that he could sit by my side. I was thinking that if I could just talk to him that I would never feel lonely again."

"You werewolves are such romantics." Max huffed turning his head to the side. His eyes were blurry and didn't seem to track at first but soon enough he found Laura's face and zeroed in on her. "Hey beautiful. Who made you cry?"

"Max!" Derek rolled Stiles quickly out the door to give the two some privacy while they waited for their parents to arrive. Joy radiated down the link in both direction between the two of them.

For a few minutes Derek was content. He could hear the happiness in Laura's voice as she talked to Max in the recovering room. Stiles was a warm presence in his mind and by his side but the tension still slowly rose in his body until he had to move.

Derek couldn't help but pace. There were too many strangers near his wounded mate, areas that he couldn't see, stringent smells that blocked his nose so that he couldn't smell if an enemy approached. Stiles sat almost frozen in his chair and watched his mate prowl the floor in front of him, looming protectively with every strange noise or passing staff member. The arrival of Derek's parents had him sighing with relief.

Once again Stiles was almost crushed by a werewolf hug and a sweet kiss from Derek's mom. Derek growled at his parents as they touched his mate but looked guiltily away when they glanced up at him with amused tolerance.

"You need to take him home son. Get him somewhere that you can protect him until he is healed." Derek caught Stiles' eye roll out of the corner of his eye.

"Max won't be able to go home just yet. We need to get some more of the pack up here." Glancing back at Stiles, feeling uneasy with him out in the open, Derek gave one last nod to his parents and took his mate home.

Once back at the manor Derek carried Stiles all the way up the stairs despite his mate's protests. "I'm cut and bruised Derek. Nothing is broken and I can walk by myself."

Finding himself on the bed Stiles huffed in amusement. "How long is the over protective alpha act going to continue? I know you had a scare but we are okay. Everything is okay now."

"It's not." Derek growled crawling up the bed to pull Stiles against his body running fingers gently along each wound. "It won't be okay until I find who did this to you. Find them and make sure they are never able to hurt you again."

Reaching up Stiles linked his hands behind Derek's neck and pulled him down for another kiss. Within moments the two were a tangle of arms and legs as they mapped out each other's bodies, tasting and touching until they were every inch was burned into their sensory memory.

Stiles was alive. Derek's wolf wanted to howl with joy but happily settled for curling around his warmth and sleeping by his side.


	22. The Whisper of Dreams

The whisper of dreams

The sound of running water filling the giant tub that took up most of the bathroom slowly woke Stiles from his slumber. He was a mass of aches, bruises and what felt like full body paper cuts. Just moving his arm to push the pillow off his head caused him to moan like the waking dead. The image of a Stiles zombie made him chuckle but he quickly stopped because that hurt too.

"Hey tall, dark and over-protective." Stiles didn't even need to open his eyes to know that his mate was standing over him. The bond was blazing with the wolf's need to protect and cherish. Stiles would have stretched slowly to tease Derek with the play of his muscles under his skin, to feel the burn of desire flood their bond, but he hurt too much to even try.

Derek's hands were amazingly gently as he untangled the covers from around his legs and hips, lifting Stiles gently to pull them from under his hips. Warm pads of his fingertips traced the bruises, now in their full glory of deep purples and blues that covered his body.

"I ran you a warm bath." That was all the warning Stiles had before he was lifted from the bed and carried into the bathroom. Glancing at the mirror across the room he could see why Derek was acting like werewolf bubble wrap, Stiles' reflection look awful, a mottled mass of colors that clashed with his pale skin and made him look like he should have stayed for a couple of days more in the hospital.

Part of him wanted to complain, to assert that he wasn't badly hurt and could walk to the tub on his own power but the vibrating NEED that made the bond between them thrum was enough to let him know that it was essential for his mate to care for him.

Stiles sighed as Derek placed him in the water, the temperature just the perfect heat to slowly unknot the tension in his shoulders and lower back. He hissed as the water briefly stung the numerous cuts that covered his body from the flying glass but soon the pain slipped away allowing him to bask in the warmth of the enormous bath.

"One of the doctors said that this would help with the pain from all the bruising." Derek said as he poured a handful of crystals into the water and stirred. The gritty texture tickled against Stiles' skin for a moment before dissolving away. It made the water feel smoother and silkier. He let out a soft moan of pleasure as the pain seemed to drift away.

Derek sat by his side as he partially floated arms and legs buoyant in the water as his bottom anchored him. His mate rubbed soothing circles with his thumb over Stiles' forehead before running his fingers through his hair letting his nails softly scratch his scalp.

Stiles was half asleep before Derek picked up the wash rag and gently started to wash his body. He rubbed a thick lather of soap across Stiles' exposed chest before lifting one arm out of the water to do the same. Derek cleaned each finger while slowly massaging his palm with his thumb.

His mate worked on his legs, avoiding the deep bruises on his left thigh, before helping Stiles sit up so he could wash his back. By the time Derek was finished Stiles was drooping in his mate's firm grasp. It took him two tries before he could remember how to use his legs as Derek lifted him from the tub to dry him off.

There were so many things he wanted to do to Derek, places he wanted to run his tongue across, needing to chase the slow bead of water that ran from his collarbone down his chest only to disappear in the blue shirt Derek was wearing.

"You've got too many clothes on." Stiles grumbled leaning his head against his mate's chest and listening to the steady beat of his heart.

"It's going to stay that way for a while. You are in no shape for anything rough today. I should have kept my hands off you yesterday. The doctor said I needed to be careful of your wounds."

"I hate my doctor. Let's not listen to him." Derek chuckled, his warm breath caressing the top of Stiles' ear. He finished drying him and led him back to bed, tucking the covers around him and dropping a soft kiss to his lips.

Stiles wanted to reach up and grab Derek, pull him down and kiss him silly but his eyes wouldn't stay open and his body seemed to go lax and Derek's arms. The last coherent memory he had was Derek sliding into bed next to him and pulling him into his warm embrace.

_Max was talking but he couldn't understand him. The seats were sticky and when he lifted his hand up to look it was covered in blood, Max's blood. He tried to tell Max, get him to stop and listen but he older man just stood up and walked to his seat on the airplane, buckling in as if he couldn't hear Stiles screaming his name. _

_A stewardess came up and tried to offer Stiles a boxed meal filled with strange vials of purple liquid that shimmered in the weak light given off by the passing street lamps. _

_His car stopped and a tall blond man in a lab coat helped him out, walked him across the street and helped him into an identical car. Stiles looked at the driver. Director Argent smiled cheerfully over the divider at him. "Buckle up young man. It's going to be bumpy."_

_Stiles turned, struggled to open the door only to find that there was no handle on the door. A nurse, her sharp white uniform covered in happy face stickers, tapped on his window. "Want one?" She asked before slapping a huge sticker on the side of his car._

"_And here we go!" Cackled Mrs. Argent from the driver's seat, pulling away from the sidewalk. Stiles watched the nurse walk quickly away her stickers slowly blowing up like balloons until they floated away into the sky only to pop, raining blood down that soaked her hands and face._

_Alongside his car the giant sticker started to swell. Stiles beat against the glass of the divider trying to warn the driver, the thick fingered cart owner, that the sticker was about to blow. "Just roll with it." The driver growled._

_So he did. He rolled over and over, his world going in slow motion as the people in his life tumbled about him like clothes in a dryer. His mother and father, Max and Laura, and Derek flipped and rolled about him. He tried to catch them, could even feel their fingers brush his but in the end each tumbled out the moon roof and disappeared into the darkness._

"Derek!" Stiles sat up covered in sweat franticly reaching for his mate.

"I'm here, love. I'm right here." Just hearing his voice wasn't enough. Stiles flung himself at Derek running his hands across every inch of skin he could reach, hands fluttering over the strong features of his face, down the column of his neck, and across the wide expanse of his chest.

"Turn on the light Derek. I need to see you. I need to know you're real." Derek reached over and flicked on the lamp next to the bed. Stiles crawled into his mates lap before grabbing his face between his hands and kissing him, pouring out all his emotions into that single connection between the two of them.

"Shhhh." Derek whispered as he ran his hands soothingly up and down Stiles' back. "You had a nightmare. Everything is going to be okay."

"No Derek. It's not going to be okay. I know who planted the bomb on the car. It was the nurse from Zillarrezko. She walked us out and placed something on the side of the car and then walked away. She didn't go back inside the building; she was walking as quickly as she could to get away, to get around the corner. And then the car blew up. She planted it, Derek."

Derek's body went stiff beneath Stiles' weight. He didn't ask if Stiles was sure, the bond let him feel the conviction of his mate's words. "Which nurse?"

"She's the one that took Max's blood samples and gave him that weird ass shot."

Derek stood, lifting Stiles along with him as he rolled to his feet and out of the bed. Wrapping Stiles protectively in the thick blanket that lay at the foot of the bed, he carried him over to a wide back chair.

Derek's grabbed his phone and pressed a button. Within seconds he was ordering a dozen pack members to join Laura and the betas at the hospital, warning them to check everyone on the staff.

His next call was to send pack members to Zillarrezko to obtain every record on file for the doctors and nurses that treated Max at the site. As he talked he quickly pulled on his clothes, dark jeans and a black t-shirt that stretched across his chest like a second skin.

"I need you dressed too, Stiles. You're not leaving my side until we get to the bottom of this."

Stiles smiled. He had been convinced that Derek would leave him behind with a guard for his own good. "I didn't think you would let me come."

Derek dropped to the ground in front of Stiles, grabbing his arms and looking at him intensely. "I need you safe and all I really want to do is lock you up somewhere that no one could hurt you until all this blows over. But I know you! It may have been less than a week but I KNOW you. You would never forgive me if I coddled you, treated you as less. So I am taking you with me. You see things from a different prospective and that's something I need. I need you to tell me what doesn't fit, which piece is out of place."

"Then I better get dressed." Stiles pulled Derek closer knowing how much his mate was fighting against his own instincts to allow Stiles to stand on his own two feet, to walk by his side as equal. He kissed Derek quickly before forcing himself to his feet, trying to ignore the burn from the bruises to skin and muscle. "Remind me to show you just how much I love you when we get back." He tossed over his shoulder as he pulled on a shirt.

Stiles didn't miss the way Derek's eyes flashed but there would be time for that later. He hopped into his shoes as he followed Derek down the stairs and into the moonless night. The rest of the pack moved around them guarding their flanks as they headed off toward the city in a fleet of dark colored cars. The pack was on a hunt and wouldn't stop until they ran their prey to ground.

AN: Sorry this is on the short side. I've been sick - - - SICK! - - - since Thursday and I've gotten nothing done. I feel this is not "up to snuff" but I wanted to keep to my posting schedule. Please forgive me of all errors and other glitches of grammar and what-not. Wednesday will be better.


	23. Smoke and Nightmares

Smoke and Nightmares

Sliding his phone back into his pocket, Derek turned to watch his mate. He could feel the satisfaction rolling off his scent and down the bond between them. Stiles was as protective of those he cared about as Derek. He was pleased to discover how much his mate had grown to care about his new family in less than a week.

"If they know we're coming, won't they run?" Stiles glanced his way, the light from the late morning sun turning his eyes the color of whisky.

"They don't know we're coming. I've alerted the pack only." Derek reached out to clasp Stiles' hands, their fingers twining together easily.

His mate nodded, turning his attention back to the approaching city. While the bond between them didn't really let Derek hear his mates thoughts, he received impressions and intentions quite clearly especially when Stiles was thinking as hard as he was now.

"You think this doctor had something to do with the bombing too?"

"No. But I think you need to make sure you check everyone you talk to for those wires we found at the pack home. The more I think about it, the more I find that nothing seems to fit together."

"What doesn't fit?" Stiles pulled away from his side, letting his fingers slip from his hold so that he could wrap them around his chest. It was a defensive gesture, closing himself off, separating him from his mate. "Hey," Derek called quietly. "I'm listening. Tell me."

"It's just little things. I don't know how to explain it without sounding like an idiot." Derek stopped him from leaning away by wrapping his arm around Stiles' shoulder and pulling him closer.

"I don't care how small they are. If they are important to you, I want to know about it."

Stiles sighed and leaned against Derek's shoulder for a second. "Okay, hear me out. From childhood I've been taught, it's been drummed and then beaten in to me, that wolves are to be feared, that you don't really like us at all, just tolerate us so we can do your grunt work."

"Not true." Derek gasped but was quickly silenced by Stiles' fingers against his lips.

"I know it's not true. I've seen it every day since I've been with you and once even before when I was hiding. Wolves don't just like humans, you seem to crave us."

Derek couldn't help but nuzzle his mate just a little at the word crave. "True." And it was. He did crave Stiles but it was more than just want or desire, it was like having air in his lungs, blood in his veins, Stiles was everything.

"Most humans only get to be around turned wolves who are supposed to go through some sort of super screening process with Pilak, right? What are they screening for exactly?"

Derek pulled himself away from the scent of his mate's neck and focused on the question. "They take an ethics test, looking for people that are loyal and trust worthy. They want only the best to become werewolves so that the human population will feel safer knowing that one of their own is looking out for their rights and well-being."

"And that's just the thing." Stiles scowled. "They don't look out for our well-being. Everyone I have ever met is a bully of the worst kind. They are cruel, capricious, and brutal. They never let you go with a warning when a beating can get the point across better. You can't tell me that these people slipped through the cracks of the system, not that many. It's almost as if…" Stiles stumbled to a stop and turned to look back out the window.

"Almost as if they were chosen on purpose." Derek finished for him. "But why?"

"I don't know Derek. But I do know that most humans fear wolves if not outright hate them and you guys don't have a clue."

"We're starting to now. But who would do this? What would be the purpose behind making humans hate us so much?" Stiles could only shrug in response and lean closer into his mate's warmth as the car drove into the city limits.

The first wave of betas had already sealed off the exits to Zillarrezko when Derek's car arrived. The Claimed milled around the lobby or huddled together in offices and lobbies. He hated causing un-needed fear but someone had tried to kill his mate and that was not something he would ever forgive.

"Let's start with the doctor that Max saw yesterday. I want him and all his staff brought to me immediately." Three of his betas pulled off to find the necessary humans while the last showed Derek and Stiles to a plush office where they could set up their interviews.

"Derek, you need to tell the betas to ease up a bit. I'm sure most of these people are innocent. We don't want them to panic or get hurt." Derek glanced up at the beta standing by the door and tilted his head toward Stiles and then just raised his eyebrows. The beta quickly left the office to obey the alpha's unspoken command.

Responding to Stiles' look of disbelief Derek smiled. "You're my mate. You carry as much authority as I do when dealing with the pack." Stiles swallowed and slid deeper into his chair.

It was only a few minutes later when Dr. Chris Venator entered the room. Stiles shifted forward as Derek motioned the doctor to sit across the desk from him with a smile.

"Thank you for joining me so quickly, Dr. Venator. I have a few questions to ask you about yesterday's near tragedy."

"Ah. I was expecting something along this to happen soon but I thought the police would show up not the Hale Pack."

"My mate was almost killed yesterday, Dr. Venator. I have a very vested interest in this incident."

Derek began to ask a barrage of questions to the doctor while listening to his heartbeat as well as his answers. The doctor's heart rate remained steady but Derek could smell the fear rising off of him and beads of perspiration formed on his forehead until it glistened. With narrowing eyes Derek stood up from his desk and crossed over to the older man.

A week ago he wouldn't have doubted his senses. He would have taken the doctor's heartbeat as proof of his truth and never looked further but since his discovery at the Pack Home he had been questioning every heartbeat he heard, wondering if it held a lie behind it's steady thump.

"Would you unbutton you shirt please?" Derek smiled at the man's widening eyes. The Hale pack had kept their discovery at the Pack Home a closely guarded secret except from their neighboring alphas, no one in the human community knew what they had discovered as of yet.

"I beg your pardon!" Chris Venator stood with an angry puff of air, indignant and offended. "To what purpose."

"He's checking for wires." Stiles moved smoothly between the doctor and the door. "Funny thing. This other doctor that I know used this weird set up to keep his heartbeat steady so he could lie all he wanted and the pack would think he was telling the truth. It was a really good trick until Derek found out about it. Now," Stiles smiled wide and with a predatory cant to his head. "Now, it just means you're really guilty."

With a speed that surprised Derek the doctor whirled toward the door. His blow took Stiles down, sending his mate sprawling to the floor, stunned and dazed but otherwise unharmed.

Derek had the man pinned to the floor before he made it a dozen feet away from the office. A syringe filled with a yellow, mucus like substance flew towards his neck but it was stopped just inches from plunging into his skin by Stiles' well timed kick. Derek could smell it as the shattered across the room, wolf's bane.

With a snarl Derek lifted the doctor to his feet, ripping his shirt open to reveal the same set up as the Pack Home. "Now I have a few questions to ask you, again." Derek said in the calmest voice he could manage as he dragged the doctor back toward office. "And this time you will tell me the truth."

"I don't think you will have any time for questions." Chris Venator grabbed a pager like device off his pants and pressed a button. Derek had just enough time to be scared for Stiles when his ears were assaulted by the sounds of multiple explosions from around the building.

The fire alarms went off with their shrill scream and smoke filled the hallways and rooms. Derek could hear the panicked cries of the humans all around him as he twisted around to locate the most important one. "Stiles." He yelled as Chris slipped out of his grasp, the shirt tearing beneath his claws.

The smoke was thick and laced with an overly sweet scent that took Derek a moment to place. By then it was almost too late. Lungs filling with wolf's bane, his mate not responding to his calls, Derek dropped to the floor and worked his way back over to where he last saw Stiles.

His mate was nowhere to be found but it didn't stop Derek from looking. He clawed his way around the area until his betas, gas masks firmly in place, drug him from the building. He tore at them, rending their flesh beneath his claws and fangs as he struggled to get back and continue his search for Stiles.

His vision darkened yet he still struggled and called until it swallowed him whole and his world vanished into nothingness.

AN:

Sorry - It's another shorter chapter but this story has now gone further than I ever expected. I want to give a shout out to everyone who played my little guessing game - ya'll are GOOD! Some of you caught things I didn't expect you to at this point.

Kudos go to: BrodyAwesome, Krysylyn86, Laurenceisokay, LuciLucifer, James Roberts, Magic Howl, yaboyjazz, Dianizx - whose reviews make me laugh all the time, Twisted-67 who found EVERYTHING!, Chrissy Truman, lord kiras hand, and pagan mama. Also to mehh;;!;!;!&$ (seriously! this is your user name? Too funny) Sorry for the cliff in this one - forgive me.

Happy 4th of July for those of you in the States!


	24. New Friends and Old Plots

Stiles woke to the feel of the cold tiles under his body slowly sucking the heat from him. He sat up with a moan that echoed in the small, windowless room. There wasn't much Stiles could make out in the dim light. He was surrounded by the wire mesh of a kennel like cage, big enough that he could stretch out flat on his back; arms stretched to their fullest, and just barely touch the ends. Touching the sides with a fingertip, he noticed that there was an oily residue on the wires.

"Careful," called a voice from across the room. "They're covered in wolf's bane." Stiles peered through the darkness but could only make out a shadow huddled in the cage diagonal from him.

"I'm not a wolf so it won't hurt me." Moving closer Stiles tried to make out more than just the blurred edges of a shape. The voice had been young, male and giving the warning about wolf's bane, a werewolf. "Are you part of the Hale Pack?" He's stomach clinched at the thought and he sent up a quick prayer that Derek was okay.

"No. I don't belong to any pack. I'm human. Was human. They turned me." The last was said in a lower timber, rumbling across the narrow space in the beginnings of a growl.

"Stiles felt queasy from more than just the knock on his head. "Who turned you?"

"The doctors did. They gave me all these shots and suddenly I had claws and fur and…" The young man broke down on a sob. "God! I'm a monster. How can I ever go home to my mother now?"

"Hey, you're not a monster. Werewolves are good people. I used to think they were awful too but then I met some. Met real wolves and not those turned betas that roam the streets like they own the world. Real wolves are kind and caring." Stiles could tell he wasn't getting across to the young wolf.

"Were you a good person before those doctors changed you?" Stiles asked trying for a different way to reach the upset young wolf.

"I guess. I wasn't a saint or anything."

"Just because you turn a little furry now doesn't change who you are on the inside." Stiles sat in silence for a few moments leaning against the side of the cage closest to the young wolf. But being quiet was never a long term solution for Stiles and after a short period of time he found himself telling the other prisoner his life's story, from his parents and their untimely death to meeting Derek for the first time as he careened around a corner.

"So if anyone is an expert on werewolves and whether or not they are monsters, it would be me," he finished. "I'm Stiles by the way. Of the Hale Pack I guess I should add."

"Scott," his new friend answered. "Nice to meet you."

The door at the far end of the room made a heavy thump and then a metallic squeal before swinging open. Two pair of footsteps echoed down the room as the lights flickered on.

Stiles got his first good look at Scott as the young wolf backed quickly to the rear of the cage. He looked to be about Stiles' age with full dark hair that flopped into his eyes and a face that seemed to be made for smiling, not the fear that was evident on it now.

"It's bad enough that you brought trouble to my doorstep with the explosion, Kate, but to kidnap the boy was reckless. We can't let him go now." Chris stopped in front of Stiles' cage and frowned sadly at him. "He's seen too much."

"You can still let me go. Derek already knows you are up to something and is searching for you. He'll never stop as long as you have me but if you release me, he might be too busy worrying over me to chase you right away."

The blond nurse stepped forward into view. Stiles had the urge to growl at her. "Oh sweetie, it's so cute that you think we are worried about that dog. But all your worries will be over soon." She smiled an evil, oily grin as Chris pulled her away from his cage. They both argued loudly, tossing out insults like 'cowardly' and 'foolishly rash' at each other until both were silenced by a soft clearing of a throat.

"Hello Stiles." His voice still sounded like someone's gentle grandpa. Stiles scrambled back until the mesh chimed as his back slammed into it, forcing it to bow backwards as his legs continued to scrape against the tile in his need to get further away from Gerard Argent. "It's amazing how much damage you've caused in little under a week. But don't worry; I'm going to give you ample opportunity to make it up to me."

Stiles realized the danger of his position just seconds too late. Gerard pressed the cattle prod against the metal of the cage door and sent a bolt through it that made Stiles' teeth rattle and his body jerk.

He woke again as he was being dragged by the back of his shirt past Scott's cage, the young wolf looking at him with fear and sorrow in his eyes. "All this time the wolves have been looking at the True Mate bond as if it was some sort of magical soul connection when in reality it's just biology, simple science." Gerard lifted him effortlessly and slammed him onto the top of a metal table.

The nurse, Kate Stiles remembered, strapped him down before stroking his cheek with the tips of her nails. "It's not really that simple. Dad's being humble. It's taken our family generations to break down the genetic code of the True Mate bond and if just a couple of days you almost ruined it all." The nails deepened in Stiles' skin and he gasped in pain. Kate pulled back her hand and smiled at the blood on her nails while Stiles' cheek throbbed.

"Now Kate, Stiles is about to be instrumental in the downfall of the wolves. He will be the last piece of data we need to finally understand how to use the bond against them."

"Bastard! Derek's going to rip you apart when he finds you. You'll be in so many pieces that they will have to bury you in Ziploc bags."

"I won't have to worry about Derek much longer. Once a mate is killed the alpha doesn't last much longer. It will be interesting to see how quickly Derek degrades once your bond is broken. I only have my great grandfather's journals from after his daughter's death to go by but it is my understanding that the loss of sanity happens quite quickly. The journals describe how the Cooper Alpha lost all control and had to be restrained by his betas, caged like the animal he was. Having rogue alphas terrorizing the population will be just the tender I need to fuel my fire."

"He's scheduled to make an announcement about the raid on Zillarrezko in half an hour. I've called the head of Arian & Co. They will make sure it is covered by all the media. I've also contacted the members of Human's First and recommended that this would be an excellent time to stage a non-violent protest against the control of the wolves." Kate leaned against the cabinet filling a syringe full of liquid from a small tan vial.

"Good. Maximum casualties and plenty of news coverage of the event. With just a little push we should be able to get them rioting in the streets before the day is over." Gerard slid an IV expertly into Stiles' wrist and attached a bag of fluid to a tall pole before taking the syringe from his daughter's hand.

"This was not the plan. If Derek loses control in public, especially if there are members of Humans First there, he could kill dozens of people before anyone could put him down. With his sister still in the hospital with Max and his father running the Pack, there won't be an alpha to slow him down. It will be a blood bath." Chris sounded horrified at Gerard's unfolding plan.

The smile that Gerard and Kate shared made Stiles' skin run cold with terror. "A nationally televised blood bath." Kate chuckled along with her father. Gerard turned back to Stiles and inserted the needle into the IV port. "I'm sorry to tell you that this is not a quick acting drug. Your death will be quite slow. This is a new muscle relaxant that we have recently developed. You will start to feel weak followed by heaviness in your chest as it starts to affect your lungs. I've heard that it's very much like drowning, just slower." He grinned widely as he pushed the plunger home.

"If it's any consolation," Kate said patting his cheek again before following her father out the door. "You will be the first causality in our struggle to gain freedom from the wolves. Think of yourself as a hero." The door swung shut behind her leaving Stiles in the room with Chris and his slow death.

Derek stood in front of the crowd of humans most of whom were screaming in anger at him. He struggled to keep his wolf in check but wanted nothing more than to snarl and snap at the fools before him.

Toward the back huddled a chapter of the Humans First group their signs proudly stating that humans didn't need the pack. "Throw off your collar," they shouted. "Dogs were meant to heel not lead." Derek felt his lip curl and clinched his fists to restrain himself.

He was just stepping forward to the podium when the wave of terror and panic hit him through the link from Stiles. His relief at feeling anything from his missing mate was stronger than the fear he felt washing up the link. He closed his eyes in silent thanks. Stiles was alive!


	25. Part II

Old Plots and New Friends (AKA Part II)

Chris paced back and forth in the small room while Stiles watched with growing panic as the yellow liquid slowly mixed with the saline solution and started to work its way down the tubing. He could tell that it was working its way into his system because his arm, once twisting franticly against his bindings, suddenly started to go limp.

His chest filled with panic making his heart race. There was no way Derek would find him in time, no escape, just the slow drip of death entering his veins. Tears burned his eyes and he bit his lip to keep the sob from slipping past his lips. He wouldn't give the bastard the pleasure of seeing him beg.

With a scream of rage, Chris slammed his fist into the wall leaving a smear of blood where the rough plaster broke the skin of his knuckles. Snarling the doctor turned to knock off the vials and supplies along the counter before stalking to Stiles' side.

"I've spent my career looking for ways to overthrow the wolves with as little blood shed as possible and they throw it all away." Chris reached out and twisted the tubing shut, kinking it so that the flow of liquid stopped as he pulled the IV out of Stiles' arm.

The doctor unbuckled the restraints that held down Stiles' arms and legs and helped him to his feet. Stiles wobbled unsteadily for a moment feeling like his entire body had fallen asleep.

"Don't worry. You didn't get enough to do any lasting harm but you will feel weak for the next few hours."

"Thanks." Stiles didn't quite know what to say to the evil scientist slash hero of the day so he just kept it as simple as possible.

They both stumbled through the door and straight into the line of sight of a large gun held by a very pissed off looking Victoria Argent. "I always knew you were weak Chris. You never had the vision that your father and sister possessed. I was hoping that you would do the right thing but once again I am disappointed in your lack of commitment to the cause."

She backed them up until they were pressed against the far wall. Lifting what looked like a car fob off a hook she blew a kiss to her husband. "I'm sure Gerard will be upset by your death but the Argents are known for sacrificing their own blood for the cause."

Stepping back, her gun never wavering, she flicked the latch upward on the young wolf's cage as she left. "This is Kate's newest creation. All the turned betas have been dosed with it at this point. We were just waiting for a chance to test it effectiveness."

Scott was making his way to the end of the cage as Victoria reached the door. Holding the fob toward Scott she pressed the single button on its surface and then shut the door, the metal bang bouncing through the room as she lowered the bar locking them inside.

"Great! She locked us in. Do you have a cell phone or something? I can have someone here in no time to let us out. I'm sure if you come clean with the Pack about your involvement in all of this they will give you a light sentence." Stiles looked at the blank stare on Chris' face and tugged gently on his arm to get his attention. "You didn't want anyone to die. Give me your phone so we can stop them before innocent people are killed today."

"I don't think we have time to make a phone call." Stiles followed Chris' stare to find Scott huddled on the floor just outside his cage. The young wolf was twitching and pulling at his hair. "We need to move back into the office and bar the door. Quickly."

Two steps sideways and another dozen to the door and Scott's head shot up, his eyes a blaze of fiery amber. With a cry Chris shoved Stiles toward the door as fast as his drugged legs would carry him, throwing the door closed and latched just seconds before Scott rammed into it, denting the metal and shaking plaster loose from around the frame.

Stiles pushed the metal table against the door while Chris fished around in his pocket before pulling out a cell phone. "Here," he called tossing the phone in a gentle overhand to Stiles. "Call your pack. Maybe they will get here before he tears down the door and eats us."

Derek answered on the first ring. "Thank God, Stiles. Where are you?" Stiles could hear the chanting of voices raised in anger on Derek's side of the line as he repeated the address that Chris called out. "I'm on my way."

"Derek!" Stiles cried thinking that he was too late and his mate had already hung up the phone. "Derek, I love you."

There was silence for a second, just long enough that Stiles knew he had missed his chance and then, "I love you too, Stiles. I'm coming. Stay safe." It was as if his heart could finally relax, the fist that clinched around it loosening and falling away.

"How sweet. Now get over here and help me hold this against the door or you mate will find nothing but a bloody smear when he gets here." Together they held the table pressed against the door but with Scott's strength crashing into the door from the other side the frame itself was starting to give way.

The outline of the giant bolt, at least four inches long, could be seen in the plaster of the wall as it worked its way loose. The door hinges warped and twisted under the constant assault from the werewolf on the other side.

"What the hell did she do to him?"

"It's a new serum. When activated it increases their aggression levels while blocking parts of their neural pathways in their brain."

"So basically it turns them into crazed attack werewolves?"

"In layman's terms, yes."

"And your sister plans on activating this in the turned betas out there? The same betas that patrol the streets where hundreds of unarmed humans work and shop? Do you know how many people could be killed?"

"Yes! Why do you think I'm trying to help you? They've all lost their way, choosing a quick path to freedom filled with the blood of innocent people over a plan that would take longer but would end with a bloodless coup in the end."

The door flew inward, crashing down upon them. The metal table that they had braced against the door tilted over with the force partially pinning Chris under its legs but sheltering Stiles from the weight of the door. Scott paused on top of the door, growling as he searched the small office for sign of the two humans. His claws scraped against the metal as he moved off the door and deeper into the small room completely missing the humans huddled beneath the debris.

Chris, his leg pinned beneath the table, motioned to Stiles and pointed to the medical equipment scattered across the floor. It only took Stiles a second to understand what the doctor wanted. There was a syringe and the remainder of the vial of muscle relaxant just within his reach. Slowly, trying not to make any noise, he dragged the glass closer and filled the syringe with a shaking hand.

Stiles was wondering how he would get close enough to inject the crazed beta when the door was tossed away from him with a howl. Scott lunged at him, throwing himself across Stiles' body as he snapped and ripped at him with fangs and claws.

Scott's fangs sank deep into the arm that Stiles managed to throw up to protect his throat and the wolf's claws tore a long streak down the side of his body from his ribs down to his hip. Stiles rammed the needle home in the wolf's shoulder and pushed him away with all his might.

Scott made a high pitched yelp like a kicked puppy and dropped back. The arm with the needle sticking out of it hung limply at his side and Scott batted at the protruding syringe before sinking down to his knees.

Stiles scrambled across the floor and pulled it out as the wolf toppled over to the ground. "Oh my God. Did I kill him?"

Chris struggled out from under the table his leg a bloody mess that he couldn't get to support his weight. "No. His metabolism will burn it off before it has a chance to affect his lungs or heart. He should be fine when he wakes up."

"Oh shit! Mrs. Argent is going to turn that thing on the City Betas. They'll go crazy in the streets. I've got to warn Derek."

Chris struggled to the wall and just let his body relax against it. He pulled out the cell from his pocket, noticing the cracked screen but it was still working. "Come on, come on." Stiles whispered as the phone rang and rang.

Derek didn't pick up until almost the fifth ring. "Stiles? Are you alright."

"Yes. But the Argents have something that drives turned betas mad and they are going to set them off in the city. Derek, you have to stop her before they kill people."

"Stiles, I'm twenty minutes away from where you are. I need to get you safe."

"Damn it Derek! I'm safe enough but if you don't stop them, God Derek, if you can't stop them and people are killed it will be just what they want. There will be blood in the streets and they will be able to blame it on the wolves."

Stiles could hear the growl building up inside Derek on the other end of the line. "Derek, I need you to trust me."

"I do. We're turning around know but just know this Stiles. When I get you back home and this is all over, I may never let you leave our room again."

Stiles smiled at the image. "I may just let you. Be safe." He held on to the phone even after the line went dead, clutching it in his hand as if holding would keep his mate safe.


	26. Roar

Roar

AN: Warning, warning – this chapter contains the aftermath of Victoria using the device against the betas. There is a fight, people are hurt. There is descriptions of people wounded in the battle. I don't want to cause anyone to be upset so please read with caution.

"Derek, I need you to trust me." His mate's words echoed in his head. Of course he trusted his mate but the need to have him safe, protected in his embrace and care, dug at his skin and worried at his nerves. With a growl he pressed on the gas, letting the car pick up even more speed. The faster he stopped these crazed terrorists the faster he could get his mate to safety.

He could hear the protesters from a block away, their chants against wolf rule filling the air and bouncing off the glass and metal until Derek could no longer pinpoint the sound's origin. It was like storm waves crashing on a beach, waves of loathing and rage.

Derek was taken aback by the amount of hatred the human population felt toward the wolves. His pack and all those he associated with had always taken the greatest care in making sure they worked comfortably within the human's societal structure. Each decision had always been run past their human agencies to make sure it was for the good for wolf and human alike.

Where had they gone wrong?

By the time he reached the news platform where the media had prepared for him to make a statement the situation was almost out of control. The City Pack had formed a long defensive line in front of the protesters who surged forward, their sheer numbers forcing the betas back to the very edge of the stage.

The part of his pack that he had left behind in his aborted rescue of Stiles stood together at the far end of the stage letting the humans deal with the increasingly angry crowd. No one stopped the tall red head that stalked toward the podium pushing back the ineffective man that was trying to talk over the raging crowd.

Derek's breath froze in his chest as he recognized Victoria Argent but separated by the mass of humans there was no way he could reach her in time.

"For too long you have been blind to the beast that walks among us. Humans have been complacent, acting like cattle, unaware they are being fattened for the slaughter. I stand here before you ready to force your eyes open, today you will see the truth." With a dramatic flourish she produced a small rounded device and pushed the single button in the center.

A frightened hush fell over the crowd.

And then a sense of unease built as the group looked about for an explosion or something to happen, an event to explain the dramatic gestures from the podium. Someone in the back giggled and the tension broke into jeers and yells to get off the stage. Victoria stood defiant with a smile that made Derek's blood run cold.

The Humans First returned to their chanting paying little mind to the betas in front of them. Only the few pressed against the beta's line saw the first tell-tale signs of their distress but even they didn't understand the ramifications of the wolves' glazing eyes and twisting stance.

Boyd and Isaac both saw Derek, struggling through the crowd, at the same time and moved to intercept him. That was all it took for the mob to notice he was a Hale and the press of humanity that he had been wading through suddenly turned and surrounded him.

"What right do you have to rule?" "Where are our equal rights as promised by the Cooper Treaty?" "How do you condone the fact that half the human population lives in poverty?" They screamed and pushed, covering Derek in a fine mist of their hate filled spittle. His wolf rose under his skin, pushing against his control with the need to roar at these weak creatures and drive them back.

Derek held onto his control. He let the words wash over him, listening to the BELIEVED truth behind them. How had the pack been so blind to the needs of the people they were supposed to protect? His wolf growled at his logic, seeing only the threat of attack, the crushing press of bodies, and the scent of anger and fear.

Three betas closest to where the red head activated the device dropped to their knees. The Humans First protesters used their momentary weakness to push through the line, charging the stage to face off against the Hale Pack and members of the city council. The media circled the whole event like vultures ready for a feast. It didn't matter who won or lost, it was the visual carnage they were after.

More of the betas went down, clutching at their heads and tearing at their hair. "Down with the Pack," screamed a voice in the crowd which was quickly taken up by the multitude. Derek was swept away in the surge forward not wanting to hurt the humans around him with his strength.

"The betas," yelled Derek across the masses to Boyd. "She did something to the betas."

Ahead the cries of anger turned to fear as the first of the affected betas turned to attack those closest to him. Ames leapt from the stage to tackle the rabid wolf before it could do more than tear a long bloody gash in a humans arm.

The tide of humanity turned. Those closest to the stages ran back and away only to be trapped between the press of the crowd behind them and the growling wolves in front of them. To the left and right the streets had been blocked off with metal gates and barriers, trapping the crowd in a small corridor of space with no room to flee.

More of the betas started to attack and the Hale Pack found themselves acting as defenders for the mob of people that just seconds before had been spewing hate at them. Derek reached down to lift a young woman from the ground, her face bloodied and body bruised from being stepped upon in the crowds' panicked rush.

Fighting his way to the gates Derek ripped them from their concrete supports opening the way for the flood of frightened people stampeding to escape. Two betas with mouths caked in black tinted foam raged his direction attacking anyone who got within their reach.

Their path was littered with the wounded, bleeding bodies of the protesters who scrambled and crawled away. A woman screamed, drawing their attention to her, as she clutched her son to her chest, their matching 'Leash the Pack' shirts a bright splash of red in the mass.

Derek stopped the first beta's claws just inches from the boy's back pushing the larger beta back with just the one hand to his wrist. The woman cowered behind him fingers tangling in his shirt as she sobbed her thanks.

The second beta ducked in raking his claws across Derek's unguarded stomach. Snarling Derek dropped down catching the first beta in the waist with his shoulder before lifting the thrashing wolf over his head and tossing him at the other beta.

"Run," he called to the woman who had frozen behind him. For a second he didn't think she would move, too frozen in shock to respond. Reaching out Derek clasped her arm gently making her look at him with fear dilated eyes. "I need you to get to safety, okay. Get your son somewhere safe." With a small nod she turned and followed the crowd that streamed through the shattered gate.

Leaping to the top of a cement barricade Derek roared with his head thrown back and arms spread wide. The sound echoed down the urban canyon molded from metal and glass. Wolves and humans alike paused in their struggles as they responded as one to the call of an alpha.

The City betas were the first to break from his control scratching at their heads with clawed fingers, soaking their uniforms with their own blood. The momentary lull gave the humans around them time to clear out of the way leaving only those too wounded by the panicked stampede behind.

One young man stumbled to his feet just a few yards from one beta. Eyes blazing amber the wolf flung himself at the back of the fleeing human only to be met in mid-air by Isaac. The City beta was more muscular than Isaac but fought without logic or reason leaving himself exposed to attack. Isaac quickly took him down, slamming his head into the concrete and knocking him out.

Derek fought his way to the platform trying to take out as many betas as he could without killing them outright. His pack fought together as one, watching each other's backs and creating openings for their pack mates to bring down the crazed wolves.

In the end the City betas stumbled to a stop, those that were still fighting dropping suddenly to their knees with a blank stare before toppling over as the drug in their system burned out. The air was filled with the stench of them, the scent of the chemical cloying and fowl.

Humans huddled in groups behind the stage slowly came out of hiding. Derek counted at least eleven recording devices and growled at human's need to show everything on television. There were too many ways to make pictures lie snarled his wolf and Derek found himself wrestling for control for the third time that day.

"What the hell was that?" Isaac asked his voice higher pitched from the stress of the fight.

"A drug of some sort. Stiles was able to warn me. Did anyone grab the red headed woman?" Isaac turned and gestured to the bottom left of the stage. Parts of her hair ruffled lightly in the soft breeze but the rest was matted to the blood that mimicked its color. "She tried to run but jumped right into the worst of it. None of us could get to her in time."

Derek heard the truth in Isaac's heartbeat. He patted the young wolf on the shoulder before making his way over to the body. Her eyes were open and seemed to stare right at him as he knelt by her side. Even in death her features were filled with hatred. Sighing Derek closed her eyes and covered her with part of the draping that decorated the stage.

"Boyd, we need to check for wounded. Humans don't heal like us so any blood you see could be a fatal injury. Let's spread out. Approach them carefully. Keep your movements slow and your eyes down. We don't want the hurting themselves more in an effort to escape us."

Derek could hear the sirens in the distance. He coaxed a group out from under the stage before moving to dismantle the rest of the gate that blocked one part of the street.

A young male, not much older than Stiles, clutched his camera and continued to snap pictures even with his leg pinned beneath some metal railing that had toppled over. Derek could smell the fear and pain radiating from the man but he faced the alpha without flinching.

Derek checked the leg carefully before lifting the bars off the man while the camera continued to click away. The leg was a mess, tendons and muscle visible through the shredded skin. Derek pulled his shirt off and used it to stem the flow of blood.

Derek looked up when the camera stopped fearing that the young man had passed out from the blood loss. Instead he found himself staring into confused green eyes. "Why? Why are you helping us?"

"Because no matter what you believe, we have never been your enemy. The packs only want to live in peace with humans." Derek finished tying off the makeshift bandage and lifted the human into his arms to carry him away from the debris.

By the time Derek had carried the young man to safety the ambulances and emergency response teams had arrived, swarming the area to triage the wounded. Some of the braver ones even approached members of the Hale pack offering to look at the deep gashes and cuts evident on many of their bodies. "Thank you but I'm healing," Derek heard Boyd mumble to a petite woman with a no nonsense attitude that insisted on looking at the laceration that covered most of his back.

With wide eyes the huge wolf submitted to her professional touch leaning closer to draw in her scent. "They're closing," she whispered in awe. Derek smiled over her head at Boyd.

"Thank you for tending my beta." Derek helped her to her feet and smiled making sure to keep his posture loose and harmless. The paramedic patted Boyd once on the shoulder before heading over to help the others. Boyd watched her until Derek pulled his attention back.

"I need you to stay here and take control of this mess. Make sure the humans get all the help they need. I'm taking Isaac and Ames with me to get Stiles. Let them know that all pack resources are available for those that need them."

Boyd stood, eyes tracking the area and pin pointing issues that needed his immediate attention. With a nod to his alpha he moved quickly off to take control of the situation and help organize the relief effort.

Derek turned to Isaac and Ames. "We need to go get Stiles. I want him home with a guard on him twenty four hours a day until we find the rest of the people involved in this."

Derek could feel Stiles down the link between them. The bond carried fear and pain as well as the knowledge that his mate was alive. Alive was all that mattered at this point to Derek. Isaac and Ames had to pick up speed to keep up as Derek raced through the chaos filled streets to the waiting car.

"We'll get him to safety," Isaac soothed.

Derek nodded but the tension didn't leave his shoulders. He wouldn't relax until he had his mate in his arms. Then he would hold him and protect him and never let him go.


	27. Playing Doctor

Playing Doctor

AN: This chapter is rushed. I'm sorry. Real life has caught up with me and is cutting back on my writing time. After Wednesday there will be a short hiatus while I go on vacation. Vegas and CA! ROAD TRIP with the BF! I will try to post on the road but I don't know if I'll be able to upload off my IPad - sorry in advance. See you Wednesday for some Derek loving :)

Stiles cradled the phone in his hands trying not to think of the danger he had just sent Derek rushing into. It was the right thing, saving innocent lives, but it put his mate at risk of getting hurt or worse. He closed his eyes tightly against that thought pushing its dark taint to the back of his mind.

"We need to stop the bleeding." Stiles opened his eyes to find the doctor standing over him with a look of concern. Glancing down at the mess Scott had made of his arm and the ribbons of flesh showing through his torn clothing Stiles had to agree that stopping the blood was a good idea.

Stiles allowed the doctor to help him to his feet. Chris led him to the back of the room and righted a bright yellow plastic chair and half shoved Stiles into it. With brisk motions he rummaged through the cabinets and drawers of the small office pulling out supplies and dropping them onto a shiny metal tray.

"Exactly what are you planning on doing?" Stiles eyed the growing pile of supplies with trepidation. "If Gerard's your father that makes you an Argent. Why are you helping fix me when you belong to the 'kill them all anti-werewolf club'?"

Chris didn't answer right away. Rolling the tray over to where Stiles was sitting he lowered himself to a stool and gently pulled up the torn shirt. Blood oozed from parallel gashes along his rib cage, skin gaping open exposing the flesh beneath.

He filled a small syringe with liquid from a vile that Chris then held it out to Stiles for inspection. "This will numb the area." Picking up the vial between his fingers Stiles rolled it back and forth for a moment, not sure whether to believe the doctor or not.

Scott groaned from where he lay on the other side of the door. He rose, unsteady on his feet, shaking his head to clear away the last of the drugs in his system. Looking over at the two of him his brown eyes widened with horror. "Oh God, did I do that?" His whole body seemed to crumble inward as he whispered, "I am a monster."

"Hey Scott. It's Scott, right? This isn't your fault. That bitch," Stiles shot an evil glance at the husband of the bitch in question before continuing. "She pumped you full of something that made you lose control. This isn't your fault. It doesn't make you a monster."

Scott didn't respond just folded in on himself tucking his head toward the corner. "Crap, just what I need. Trapped with a depressed werewolf and Dr. Moreau. Throw in some flying monkeys and my day will be complete."

"I thought his name was Dr. Venator." Scott lifted his head briefly in confusion. Stiles held back his snort of laughter.

"I guess you don't watch a lot of old science fiction shows. Island of Dr. Moreau is a classic." Chris sniffed in derision.

"I never really watched many sci-fi shows." Scott turned around to face Stiles resting his chin on his knees while he watched the two with wary eyes.

"Really? Not even Star Wars?"

"Is that the one with the pointy ear guy?"

Stiles covered his face with his un-wounded hand. "You my friend are going to join me for a sci-fi marathon when this mess is all over."

Chris cleared his throat, managing to sound bored and annoyed at the same time. "If you two are finished with the best friend overtures, I need to get your cuts sewn up before your alpha gets here and tears my head off."

"I knew you had an alternative motive." Stiles growled. "Why should I trust you? How do I know you are telling me the truth about anything?"

"His heart rate never changed so he's been telling the truth since I woke up." Stiles paused for a split second and then reached out to rip open the doctor's shirt. There was nothing but skin beneath the fabric. Stiles felt a blush burning across his face at the combined looks of confusion and disbelief on Chris and Scott's faces.

Stiles nodded toward the needle and leaned his head against the wall in preparation for the pain. He hissed and arched his back as the needle pierced his skin for the first time but after that the pain around the wound started to dull and fade away.

Chris focused on sewing up the first layer of Stiles' flesh with small neat stitches. Scott moved closer and watched over his shoulder. He used a vibrant blue thread to sew the inner most layer and then switched to a dark black to close the outer gash.

Seeing Scott's interest he explained "The blue will dissolve over time once his body heals around it. It will just absorb into the system. Stiles you will need to have the outer stiches removed in a couple of weeks but I suggest that once we get out of here, you go see a doctor to make sure there is no infection."

"Why do you even care?" Stiles asked as the last stitch was looped and tied off, the extra sutures cut off and disposed. Stiles didn't really care about the answer, just needed to ask the question to make the frantic arm waving portion of his brain shut up and let him rest.

"I've never wanted the blood shed that my family seems to crave. I wanted to find a non-violent solution to getting rid of the wolves but my father took everything I had ever accomplished and turned it into a weapon. I left my family, changed my name, and tried to make a normal life for my daughter and I but there is no escaping my father. Not when he still has a use for you."

"You make it sound like you're in the mob or something." Stiles found he was having trouble tracking; the lights shimmered and wavered while the walls did the hula around him. "Dude," he slurred. "You are totally like a mob family."

It felt like falling into the night sky. The edges of his vision darken except for little motes of light that flashed here and there. Chris' face lost focus, becoming smaller and smaller until the was nothing but the darkness and peace.

The sounds of screams and growls woke Stiles. His eyes struggled to open and there was a strange pressure around his neck. The first thing he focused on was Scott huddled in the middle of the small office looking rapidly back and forth between Stiles and the raging wolf at the door. Stiles blinked again recognizing Isaac wolfed out and holding a slim brunette by her hair, his claws dangerously close to her throat.

It was at that point that he realized that the pressure on his own throat was Chris who held a shimmering scalpel in front of Stiles' nose. From the strain Stiles knew he was going a little cross eyed looking at it.

"Let her go!" Chris screamed. "If you harm one hair on her head I will slit his throat." Scott whined and crouched lower on the tiled floor his eyes never leaving the girl that struggled in Isaac's hold.

"After all the trouble you went through to patch me up and now you're going to kill me? Bi-polar much?" It was like pushing the pause button on the TV, the entire room froze except for the soft hiccups coming from the young girl. "Isaac, let her go please. Dr. Venator isn't going to hurt me. Look, he even patched me up."

Isaac let the girl ease out of his grip. She immediately ran to her father who almost dropped Stiles in his hast to wrap her in the safety of his arms. Stiles bounced hip first on the tile before being scooped into Isaac's embrace. The beta pressed his nose to the crease of his neck and breathed deeply of his scent.

"Who hurt you? Who hurt you?" Isaac rumbled as he rocked Stiles.

"Isaac, I'm okay. You can put me down now." Stiles did his best to peel off the clinging wolf but Isaac seemed to be almost surgically attached. Knowing that struggling was a battle he was going to lose, Stiles switched tactics. "Where's Derek?"

"Derek and Ames are checking the other buildings. This complex is huge. I wouldn't even have looked here if I hadn't seen her trying to unlock the door."

Stiles knew that if Derek came in here while the smell of his blood was fresh and his enemy was cornered with red stained hands that it would end up getting messy quickly. He didn't want their death on his hands or Derek's.

"Okay, we need to move this outside. Isaac, you need to take Dr. Venator and his daughter to the police. Call someone from the pack to meet you there to watch them. I don't trust the rest of their family and I'm sure the good doctor is ready to answer many of our questions."

Isaac looked ready to argue but Stiles over-rode him with a frown. "Scott will help me find Derek and then I can go home. Isaac I need you to do this." Stiles lowered his voice in his best imitation of Derek and Isaac immediately lowered his eyes and nodded.

The five of them were out the door and Isaac had Chris and his daughter half way to a waiting car when Stiles felt a jolt through his bond. Squeezing Scott's shoulder to stop the young beta, he looked over his shoulder just as Derek cleared a building in the distance.

Stiles knew wolves could move fast but Derek was amazing. He had just enough time to wiggle out of Scott's hold before he was being scooped up once again into a wolf's arms.

But it was Derek. His bond hummed with the emotions that flooded it; the relief and angst and frantic worry played along his nerve endings like strings on a guitar. Stiles clung, wrapping his arms around his mate's neck and dropping kisses along his jaw and cheek.

"Stiles, Stiles, Stiles." Derek panted into the skin of his neck, tickling his pulse point with his warm breath. Stiles didn't even struggle to be put down. His mate could carry him bridal style for the rest of his life at this point.

"Take me home Derek. Take me home and never let me go."


	28. Caring For Your Mate

Derek watched as the doctor checked over his mate. He didn't like the way the woman ran her hands over the edges of the wound, applying pressure causing Stiles to take a quick intake of breathe in pain. After cleaning and re-bandaging his wrist, she turned back to Derek with a professional nod.

"Everything looks fine. The cuts to Stiles' wrist are not deep and I would just keep it clean and bandaged for now. The stitching on his side was well done. It's going to leave a small scar but otherwise it should heal just fine. I'll prescribe a round of antibiotics but you should keep an eye on it just in case. Look out for any redness or heat. Don't hesitate to bring him in if you have any concerns."

Stiles let out a small huff of amusement catching both of their attention. "I'm sure that Derek will bring me in at least twice no matter what." Derek didn't bother to deny it. He already had made plans to take Stiles to the doctor in a couple of days to have her recheck the healing wound. Humans were so fragile, their healing so very slow and the idea that he could lose Stiles to something as simple as an infection scared him to the very core.

The doctor smiled up at the alpha. "Should I just make you an appointment for Thursday?" She pulled out her phone to add it to her calendar.

"Let's do Wednesday instead. Just to be safe." The doctor's eyes crinkled in amusement but her lips never twitched.

"Wednesday it is, Alpha Hale. Stiles it was nice to meet you. Make sure you keep your incision dry for at least five days." Snapping shut her small bag the doctor headed out the door and down the stairs while Derek moved closer to run his hands lightly over Stiles. He had found himself needing the constant reassurance of touch over the last hour to convince himself that his mate was alive and well. Stiles smiled and leaned deeper into the touch.

"I feel all icky." Stiles moaned as he pressed his cheek to Derek's side. "Everything is starting to itch and I can't do anything about it."

Derek lightly touched his mate's hair feeling the grittiness of the dirt and smoke from the explosion at Zillarrezko. He could smell the dried sweat and grime that clung to Stiles' skin from the adventures of the day.

"I think I can get you cleaned up without getting your stitches wet." Derek pressed a kiss to the top of his dirty head inhaling the core scent of his mate.

"If you can I will love you forever." Stiles joked as he wrapped his arms around Derek. As soon as the words left his mouth his mate stiffened. Derek held him lightly in his arms waiting as Stiles processed and decided how to respond to his own comment.

"I already do, you know." Stiles didn't look up, just tucked his head deeper against Derek's stomach. The alpha wondered if his mate knew that wolves considered this a very intimate position. The stomach was a vulnerable area and to allow someone to rest against it was the ultimate sign of trust. "Love you," his mate added lifting his chin to look up at Derek through dark lashes.

Derek found himself fumbling with the words to explain how much Stiles meant to him. From the way Stiles started to let his arms drop from his sides Derek knew he had waited too long to respond so he flooded their link with every emotion he felt toward the young human; his love, affection, annoyance, attraction, and deep need poured through the bond.

Stiles shuddered, head thrown back and eyes closed as the bond between them expanded. The emotions between them flowed back and forth, echoing and growing until Derek lost track of where he began and Stiles ended.

A small twitch of pain pulled both of them out of their bond and back into the world. Derek had dropped to his knees and pulled Stiles tight against him, one of his arms wrapping around his waist to keep him close which had brushed up against the wound.

"Sorry," Derek pressed an apology to Stiles' shoulder.

"It's okay." They stayed like that, Stiles sitting on the edge of the bed with Derek on his knees in front of him, arms entangled and bodies pressed as close as their skin would allow, until Stiles slowly pulled away.

"I'm still filthy and I think you promised to clean me up without getting my stitches wet." Derek smiled as he stood, reaching out to catch Stiles' hand and tug him into his arms. He led the way to the bathroom grabbing the desk chair along the way.

Stiles sat as directed and Derek leaned him back until his head was resting on the edge of the sink. Derek could feel a touch of nervousness flow down the link from Stiles but it was quickly replaced with the knowledge that Derek would never let him come to harm and his nascent fears calmed almost immediately.

Derek's warm hand cupped the back of Stiles' neck as he poured the first cup of warm water over his head, letting his fingers rub against his mate's scalp. Stiles' eyes closed as he relaxed even more into Derek's palm.

Once the shampoo was added and Derek built up a lather the slide of his fingers picked up speed. The bond allowed Derek to feel exactly where Stiles enjoyed his touch the most, the flares of pleasure as his nails gently scraped the nape of his mate's neck almost electric down the link.

Curling one hand around the back of Stiles' head Derek used the other to wash and push back the bangs that flopped forward into Stiles' eyes. He paused to let his thumb rub slow circles along the hairline and Stiles' lips parted with a sensual gasp that had the alpha growing hard in seconds.

After rinsing he rocked the chair forward so that all four legs were on the ground. Stiles blinked slowly up at him through lidded eyes. Derek caught the ragged hem of the dirty shirt and it slipped easily over Stiles' shoulders and landed in a heap at the edge of the door. Encouraging Stiles to his feet with a gently tug Derek popped the button of his jeans and slid them down his legs. Stiles wobbled slightly, using Derek's shoulder to steady himself as he stepped out.

From the floor Derek had a glorious view of his mate. While not as heavily muscled as the alpha, Stiles was hard and lean in all the right places. Derek let his hands travel up his legs from his ankles to his hips, stopping briefly to let his thumb dip into the indention there.

Stiles abdominal muscles were smooth ridges that begged for the warm touch of Derek's lips, the heat of his breath. His mate arched up on his toes as Derek slipped his tongue around the curve of his belly button before dipping in briefly.

"You need to either help me get clean or help me get off. Pick one soon Derek before I go out of my mind." Stiles ran fingers through Derek's hair before catching a double handful and tugging gently to force the wolf to look up at him.

"Impatient?"

"I'm eighteen. I think impatient might just be my middle name. If not, I'm contemplating changing it." Derek chuckled pressing his lips against the side of his mate's hip, holding him against him as Stiles wiggled.

The meek cry of dismay as Derek stood, lifting Stiles with him, was adorable. Not that Derek would ever say that out loud to his mate; he enjoyed sleeping in the same bed with the clingy human too much to risk having to sleep on the couch for even one night.

Derek carried him to the edge of the huge bath tub and sat him gently on the ledge. He turned the water on and let it run, testing it to see if it was the right temperature before wetting the washcloth and building a foamy lather.

He started on the top of Stiles' shoulders and worked his way down his back. He rinsed often, keeping the suds from sliding very far down his back. His mate leaned forward to rest his head in his hands and by the time Derek reached the curve of his ass Stiles was almost completely relaxed.

Derek stepped around to the other side of the tub. Grabbing another washcloth he started to lightly rub at the layer of dirt on Stiles' neck and collar bones, working the lather in with slow circular strokes. His mate tilted his head back exposing the long line of his throat. Derek's hips lurched forward on their own, the jerky movement causing Stiles to peek out of one eye, a lazy smile curling on his lips.

"Are you getting impatient too?" Derek responded with a quick nip to the long column before sucking on the warm flesh, bringing the scent of warm blood to the surface of Stiles' skin. By the time he pulled away there was a dusky mark left behind for all to see. Stiles let his fingers trace over it, outlining it with eerie accuracy. The look in his eyes sent a wave of heat through Derek's body.

"You have no idea." Derek made quick work on Stiles chest taking care so that the wound was untouched. He washed down his mate's legs and between each toe before dropping to his knees in the middle of the tub.

"If you do that, I won't last. Not at all." Stiles was panting, his hands kneading restlessly on Derek's shoulders.

The body wash foamed quickly as Derek rubbed in between his palms. He never let his eyes leave Stiles', keeping the contact as he leaned forward taking Stiles into his hands. His fingertips moved smoothly around his balls before encircling his shaft and moving up and down in a slow stroke.

Stiles buried his face in Derek's shoulder as his hips rocked forward in tempo with Derek's caress. "Can't, can't, can't…"he moaned.

"Shhhh. I've got you Stiles. I've got you." With a shudder that racked his entire body Stiles came. He let his head fall backwards, trusting that Derek would catch him and keep him from falling.

As the body shaking reduced to small tremors Derek finished rinsing Stiles off, toweled him dry, and easily lifted him into his arms to carry back to bed. His mate melted into the mattress. Feelings of exhaustion and satisfaction shimmered down the link letting Derek know how close Stiles was to falling completely asleep.

Pulling the covers over Stiles, Derek was about to step away but was stopped by his mate's soft touch to the inside of his wrist. "Stay."

Derek had Gerard and Kate Argent to find and shred, Chris Venator and his daughter to question, and an entire city of frightened humans to calm and reassure. Looking down at his mate, the other half of his soul he decided that he needed to prioritize the important things first. Sliding into the bed he pulled Stiles closer until he was draped over his chest, head tucked under Derek's chin as their legs intertwined.

"Thanks," Stiles sighed as he slipped into slumber. Derek stayed awake for a while longer tracing patterns on his mate's back and guarding him from any nightmares that might interrupt his sleep.


	29. Wounded Bonds

Wounded Bonds

Stiles woke in a tangle of warmth, Derek's arms wrapped securely around him with one of his legs thrown over Stiles' thigh. He let himself lay there for a second basking in the sense of belonging and love. He could feel his sleeping mate through the bond, a comfortable pressure in the back of his mind.

Working his way slowly out of bed Stiles stood and stretched, back popping and the stitches on his side pulling. Neither really hurt, just a dull ache that reminded him of his adventures from the day before. Turning he found the gaze of his mate resting on the exposed skin of his raised shirt. Smiling, Stiles let his arms drop slowly to his side. Derek raised his eyes, skimming over his chest, lingering on his lips, before meeting his own eyes with a hungry glint.

Derek reached out and tugged Stiles closer for a lingering kiss before slipping out of bed himself. "Laura's bringing Max home this morning. Let me shower and we can go down for breakfast and wait for them."

Stiles was opening his mouth to ask why he couldn't just head on down on his own when he felt the pull of their bond. Derek, for all his outward calm, was raging with the need to keep his mate safe and close. If Derek had his way, Stiles had the feeling that he wouldn't be leaving the room, much less the bed.

He remembered Derek's threat of keeping him in the bed and smiled. His mate knew better than to try to keep him from the action but the strain of separating his wants from the needs of his mate was at times trying for the alpha.

Feeling like taking pity on his struggling mates nerves and not minding the view, Stiles followed Derek into the bathroom and sat on the counter while his alpha showered. The play of water against the hard plains of his body was magical. Stiles felt the need to become a poet just to describe the patterns the water took as it streamed down Derek's back and chest.

The water from the shower wasn't the only thing streaming up the mirrors, Stiles' thought. His mate was hot.

"If you keep thinking things like that, we aren't going to make it down for breakfast." Derek sounded amused but the swirl of emotion that flashed through the bond was something different. It made Stiles' breath catch in his lungs.

This seemed to be his stomach's cue to rumble loudly as if to remind the entire household that there had been no offerings of food for quite some while and its patience was at an end.

Derek stuck his head out and stared at Stiles with shock bordering on roaring laughter. "Two minutes and I'll feed you. Promise."

Nodding, more to himself than the wet werewolf, Stiles went to find something to wear. His drawer in the dresser had somehow filled itself with clothing of his size since last he looked. Stiles wondered briefly which Beta's job it was to run out and buy him clothing. He needed to thank whoever it was because the jeans, graphic tees, and oversized button ups were just his style.

Feeling more like himself than he had since his parents' death, Stiles finished dressing and waited for Derek on the edge of the bed. His mate emerged, hair damp, dressed in dark slacks and a deep blue collared shirt. The alphas always seemed to be dressed to kill. Literarily, Stiles hoped with Gerard and Kate still out there causing trouble for wolves and humans alike.

"Should I dress up more?" Stiles felt comfortable in his clothes but didn't want to let his mate down.

Derek dropped a kiss on the crown of his head. "You're perfect."

The praise, along with the assurance from the bond that his mate meant it, made Stiles beam. It had been a long time since he felt like he belonged. Even the last few years with his parents had been rough with his ADD causing him to struggle in school. As if knowing he needed it, Derek pulled him into a tight hug and repeated his earlier statement, this time adding enough heat to his voice to send shivers down Stiles' spine. "You are perfect."

Derek leaned in for a kiss and Stiles was suddenly ready to forget breakfast all together and feast on other things. He fisted the soft fabric of his mate's shirt in his hands, pulling the wolf closer so that he could deepen the kiss. Suddenly Derek pulled away, head up and alert. "They're here."

Stiles let Derek herd him down the stairs to discover that all the betas had lined up on either side of the hallway, bodies tense and eyes focused on the door. Stopping abruptly enough that Derek bumped into his back, Stiles stared in wonder. He was just about to ask what was going on when the door opened.

Max paused in the threshold of the doorway, his expression as confused as Stiles'. Looking down the row of betas he met Stiles' welcoming smile with one of his own. His first step through the door was tentative but Laura urged him forward with a hand to the small of his back. The first beta, a short dark skinned female, stepped forward and ran her nose gently up the side of Max's neck before stepping back into position.

Max's eyes went wide and he shared a "what the fuck" glance down the hallway with Stiles who could only shrug in response. Another step down the hall equaled another beta stepping forward to scent his neck. He continued down the short hallway pausing as each wolf came forward to add their scent to the rest of the packs'. Isaac and Ames stood almost a fourth of the way down and added a quick hug to their scenting of Max.

Stiles waited until Max was about half way down the hallway before rushing the short distance left between them and throwing his arms around the older man's neck. "I'm so glad you are okay! I was so worried about you."

"At least I had the decency to stay safely tucked away in the hospital. You on the other hand managed to get yourself kidnapped while exposing a plot of Machiavellian proportions.

Stiles could feel the blush working its way up his neck and face. Derek reached around and pulled him to his side before leaning in to run his nose against Max's neck in welcome. "I'm glad you are well. We were all worried about you."

Laura smiled at Derek as she moved to Max's side and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. "It's terrifying to find out how delicate you are."

Max and Stiles shared another bonding moment of rolling their eyes and huffing at their perspective mates. "I don't know about you Max but my delicate human body is in dire need of some substance. I bet that hospital food was horrible. After all we've been through you would think that our loving mates would take better care of us helpless little humans."

Max started to smirk at Stiles' obvious joke but both alphas looked wrecked at Stiles' words and before either human could explain the idea of sarcasm to the pack they were whisked away to the dining room by their alphas and the betas were practically tripping over each other to bring them breakfast.

Stiles stared over three plates heaped full of bacon and eggs and around another two that sported a small mountain of pancakes dripping with syrup at Max. His side of the table was completely obscured by the mass of food in front of him and Laura looked as if she was about two seconds from cutting up his pancakes and feeding him.

"You both know that was a joke, right?" Stiles could feel the tension from Derek on his side of the link. "Hey," Stiles reached out and caught his mates chin with his hand and forced him to look him in the eye. "It was a bad joke. We are human and sometimes we don't understand the importance you wolves put on some things. You take wonderful care of us, we feel safe when we are with you, and you provide for us. It was a bad joke, sorry."

Max ate the food off the fork offered by Laura with a completely straight face before agreeing with Stiles. "It was a horrible joke. You always take great care of me." Under the table Max kicked Stiles in the shin. Stiles did his best to say sorry with his facial features alone.

Derek let his head rest on Stiles' shoulder. "Sometimes I don't understand you."

"That makes two of us." The four of them ate in silence while the betas shifted and looked uncomfortable along the walls. "Are they going to sit down and eat or just watch us the whole time?" Stiles didn't even bother to whisper knowing that all the wolves would be able to hear anything he said.

Instead of looking to their alphas, the betas watched both humans until Max let out a groan and motioned toward the buffet. "You are putting me off my food. Grab a plate, get some food and sit down before my nerves get the best of me."

Stiles watched with amusement as the werewolf comedy hour started. All the betas moved as one, fumbling and bumping into each other in their hast to follow Max's directions. The dark naughty part of Stiles enjoyed watching creatures that were usually so agile and graceful look just a little bit clumsy for once. He felt bad about it afterwards but at the time he just smiled into his napkin and relished the moment.

Max still looked a little pale and Stiles knew he didn't look much better; the last few days had taken a toll on them both. The wolves on the other hand all looked like they had just stepped out of a shoot for some upscale magazine. Even Derek's drying hair from the shower looked professionally ruffled and sexy as hell. Stiles crammed another bite into his mouth and tried to stem the flow of self-conscience thoughts that started to bombard him.

Stiles was flooded with images of himself, flicker flashes of his eyes and lips, the way his hands played along the seam of his jeans, the curve of his hip just above the waistband of his jeans, and the crescent shaped scar on his calf where he had cut himself crashing his bike when he was seven. All of the images came through with the taste of Derek's love flowing behind them, wrapping Stiles securely in his mate's devotion.

Blinking away from the flow, his brain still full of the after images and emotions, he looked into the hazel green swirl of his mates' eyes. "You're perfect." Derek whispered against his lips. "I'll tell you as often as needed until you believe." Stiles smiled and leaned against the warmth of his mate and watched as Max curled around Laura as well.

Surrounded by his mate's scent, the thrum of love flowing down their bond, and his pack adding to his sense of comfort just by their presence, Stiles wondered how he was ever afraid of werewolves. If humans could only see just a glimpse of what he had in the last few days, they would never fear them again.

It was a perfect moment, one that Stiles would look back on in the years to come with a smile. But like all moments of perfection it didn't last. Laura's phone let out a high pitched squeal that had most of the betas covering their ears. Derek's phone rang seconds later in the usually preprogramed ringtone.

Both alphas answered in unison, "Alpha Hale." Stiles would have been amused if not for the almost identical looks of intense concentration that sharpened their features.

"Laura, what's happened?" Max cupped her cheek and forced her to look at him. Stiles reached under the table and laced his fingers through Derek's hand not needing to look at him to know that his eyes were tinged red, he could feel it through their link.

"Gerard and Kate, along with a group from Human First just attacked the building we were holding Chris and is daughter in. They are both alive but there are a reported fifteen dead and another twenty or so being taken to the hospital." Derek responded before Laura could speak.

Without any sign from the alphas all the betas went into action. Gone was the charming clumsiness from earlier, replaced by a fluid motion that made the betas move as one, weaving in and out of each other's way without a single glance or thought. Derek and Laura both had their phones out and were issuing orders in rapid fire, clipped voices that left no room for argument on the other end.

Isaac popped his head back in the room. "Ready to leave in five alpha." Both Hales were moving toward the front door before the words had even finished leaving the beta's mouth. Stiles' feet tangled in the rungs of the chair as he struggled to follow his mate.

"Derek! I'm coming with you." The alpha turned and seemed to grow in size, his chest expanding as Derek drew himself to his complete height.

"No." His voice was soft but steely. "I almost lost you yesterday. You are still recovering from wounds you received in a car crash as well as an attack on you by a rabid beta. I am not allowing you to endanger yourself again."

"Allowing myself? Who the hell do you think you are?" Stiles went cold with the fury that tightened his chest. He couldn't believe that Derek was pulling this alpha crap on him. He was not going to be the weak partner in the relationship, expected to stay home while his mate went off to fight their battles. "I'm not some weakling that you get to protect. I'm your mate and my place is by your side."

"Not today." Derek stepped forward and placed a quick kiss on Stiles' head. "One day you will forgive me." Quickly turning he followed Laura out of the room and down to the waiting cars.

Stiles was left watching the dust settle with his fist clinched at his sides on the large porch that wrapped around the front of the mansion. Max slipped quietly up to his side and watched the cars disappear down the drive. "I get the feeling that we aren't just going to wait around for them to return."

"I'm not."

"Then I guess we'll need a car."

Stiles followed Max out the back and down the road to where a large barn like structure sat half hidden by a copse of trees and a low rise in the landscape. "I thought you said you didn't have a car." He kept an eye on the way that Max moved, watching for any sign of further damage to his leg. While Stiles wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with his mate, he didn't want Max to pay the price with his health.

"I don't have a car of my own but there are many cars available for pack use. I doubt Laura or Derek would have thought to inform the betas in charge of the garage that we were grounded."

Stiles snorted in agreement. "They are used to everyone just obeying. Derek still has a few things to learn about being mated to me."

"I've never been brave enough to stand up to them like you do. I always kept my head down and followed Laura's lead. Derek was lucky to find you. Hell, the pack is lucky Derek found you. I think you are going to be the shake-up we all need to make relations between wolves and humans better."

Stiles was glad that Max's attention was focused on the entrance of the car barn and not him as he felt the wave of heat roll up his neck and across his face. In a short time he had come to respect Max greatly and hearing his praise was like receiving a cup of cool water while in the desert sun.

A young beta stepped out of the shadows of the large barn like interior to block their path. Stiles had enough time for one nervous, shuttering breath before the wolf asked in a quiet voice if he could be of any assistance.

"We need a car." Max said keeping it simple.

With a uncomfortable frown the beta responded. "All the drivers have been called away, Max. I have two cars available but no one to drive you." He kept his eyes downcast and head tilted in submission as if he had somehow failed in his job.

"That's fine. I know how to drive." Max smiled and patted the young wolf on his shoulder.

"If you could just bring us the keys. We're in a hurry." Stiles added with what he hoped was an innocent smile. The wolf practically dashed off to do their bidding. Stiles had a mental image of a puppy running off to get its ball to play fetch but squashed it down along with the slightly hysterical giggle that threatened to escape.

Glancing sideways at Max he mouthed 'this is too easy' before sliding his hands into his pockets to wait for the betas return. If the wolf called anyone to check if they were allowed to borrow a car, their plan was shot and Stiles tried not to let the tension of that show in his body language.

The beta was back in less than a minute with a pair of dark blue key chains and a smile. "There are only two cars ready to go today. I'm not sure which one would best suit your needs." Motioning them to follow, he led them deeper into the garage to the first car.

It was a Dodge Avenger in a dark blue which Stiles had noticed was the main color of all the Hale pack cars. Deep down he was hoping for something in a fiery red. Max was smiling and reaching for the keys when Stiles saw the other car. "Holy shit. We'll take that one."

Max glanced over at the vehicle and back to Stiles who was trying not to drool at the vision before him. It was sex on wheels, a dark blue Viper that had him itching to speed down the roadway and into the sunset, race across desolate expanses of desert or zigzag through mountain roads. Basically every car commercial he had even seen he wanted to recreate in that dark blue beauty.

"It's not subtle."

"We're not throwing them a surprise party. Fuck subtle." Stiles snatched the keys out of the beta's hand and ran loving hands over the sides of the car.

"Are you planning on making out with it or getting it so we can catch up with the rest of the pack?"

Stiles let a lustful grin spread across his face and enjoyed the amused look and eye roll that Max returned. "When this is all over Derek is taking me out in this baby and teaching me how to drive." And then maybe christen the interior before coming home Stiles added to himself.

"God! I'll have to tell Laura never to use this car after you two are done with it." Max slid into the front seat and the car roared to life. For all his calm demeanor and studious manner, Max drove like a man possessed. Stiles was torn between holding on for dear life and crowing with excitement as Max pealed out of the drive way and flew across the drive toward the open road.

"Shit Max! When all this is over I'm letting you teach me how to drive!" The countryside flew by and the city limits came into view at a rapid pace. Glancing over to peek at the speedometer Stiles knew that while they weren't going to catch up to the rest of the pack, they certainly would not be far behind.

Max slowed down as they reached the city limits and soon they were pulling up behind the rest of the pack vehicles that lined the side of one street in front of a tall building. Stiles quickly hid the smirk at the look of shock on the betas' faces as the two of them stepped out and walked to the front door.

With an air of composed authority that Stiles hoped to one day emulate, Max tossed the keys to the closest beta. "Watch that for us please." The other beta hastened to open the door just in time for the older man to sweep through to the lobby.

"I never knew you were such a bad ass…" Stiles trailed off once he saw the demolition of the front lobby. There were scorch marks across the far wall and much of the furniture was blackened and broken. An alarming series of holes lined the side wall and patches of dark brown were scattered across the floor.

Swallowing the rest of his smartass comments he fell into step with Max as they crossed the lobby battlefield to where a pair of betas flanked either side of a doorway. Except for the extra white in their eyes the betas showed no outward surprise at their appearance and opened the door as they approached.

He did his best not to look at the smears on the walls and stains on the floor as he walked down the hallway to the conference room at the back. Stiles could hear the voices of the wolves down the hallway and feel the aggravation thrumming down the link from his mate. The sudden sense of surprise followed by a loud curse let Stiles know that Derek was aware of his presence.

Derek flung to door open just as they reached the end of the hallway and pulled Stiles into his arms. Max ducked in behind them and walked to Laura's side. Stiles watched as the two siblings seemed to communicate with their eyebrows along while curling around their mates.

Stiles managed to work his way out of Derek's grasp and pulled out a chair before sinking into it. Chris sat at the end of the table his arm in a sling, shirt covered with blood and his left eye swollen and turning an impressive shade of puce. His daughter sat close by his side looking less battered but just as worn. Scott stood protectively over her chair, a supporting hand resting on her shoulder.

Scott seemed to relax with Stiles in the room. His shoulders loosened and the crease between his eyes eased until it was almost gone. A corner of his mouth curled in an attempt at a smile as he sat down next to the dark haired girl, sliding his fingers into hers.

"They tried to kill Allison and her father. I don't understand why your own family would try to kill you." Scott shifted his shoulder so that Allison could better lean against him. Chris looked like his whole world had been turned upside down and shaken. His face morphed from a look of disgust to grudging respect.

"Should I do a quick recap?" asked an older beta with long hair. Without waiting for a reply she briskly restated the facts for the humans that had just entered the room. "Approximately two hours ago Gerard and Kate Argent attacked this facility with an armed group from Humans First. Seven wolves were killed by laced bullets and another twelve have been hospitalized. So far all are listed in good condition. While Gerard managed to escape, we were able to contain many of the others that attacked. Most are being held in the secure wing of the hospital."

"Where are the rest?" asked Max.

"The morgue." The beta smiled just a little when she said that and Stiles had to agree with the feeling. Looking over he noticed Chris' pale complexion and the slight tremor in his hands that rested on the table in front of him.

"Are you okay?" Stiles couldn't help but feel a bit of sorrow for the man. In just a day he had lost everything, from his position as a respected doctor to his wife and family.

Chris raised his head and met Stiles' stare with haunted eyes. "My own sister broke in and held a gun to my daughters head and threatened to kill her. I told her to just take me, to leave Allison alone but she just laughed and said that all traitors needed to be taken out of the bloodline. If it wasn't for…" his voice dropped off as he looked over at Scott who had curled around Allison as if to protect her from the memories that Chris' words brought forth. "Thank you," Chris whispered.

"But why attack you?" Max moved to the table pulling a tablet out of one of the betas hands to take notes. "Going after a member of your own family is harsh but doing it when they are in protective custody is suicidal."

Chris let out a pained, slightly hysterical laugh. "It's all falling apart. The organization is getting too big; people were no longer listening to my father like they did my grandfather. It's becoming more about greed and control than getting rid of you wolves."

Laura started to let out a low growl but let it die in her throat as Max placed a calming hand on her waist. "Your father still seems to have some pull in the organization if he was able to gather up a group of terrorist to try to kill you in less than a day."

Nodding Chris let his head drop back and closed his eyes briefly. "He still has a lot of power but I think it was more the fact that I have information that they don't want to leak out. Information that kept the wolves and humans from becoming closer over the years. Information that would start to erode the power base they have been building up for the last two generations."

Max leaned forward as if scenting prey. Stiles had the sudden realization that the unassuming human who was so kind and soft spoken had a hidden depth to him, a dark side that he was willing to use to protect those he loved. "And you are going to share the information with us now? Am I correct Dr. Venator?"

Chris shifted back and glanced over at his daughter who had moved even closer into Scott's arms. He made a moue of distaste at Allison who was now practically sitting in Scott's lap. Stiles thought they made a cute couple and knew from experience how quickly a bond with a wolf could form but with Chris' background he knew it must be a hard pill to swallow for the man.

"I will share all the information I have in return for protection for myself and complete immunity of all crimes committed by my family for my daughter. I've done everything I could over the years to keep her away from the family business. She has nothing to do with any of this."

Max glanced over his shoulder at Laura and then across the table to Derek. Both nodded. "I don't see that being a problem. What information do you have that is so important, that has kept the wolves and the humans from a closer relationship?"

"True Mates." Chris smiled briefly. "We discovered how to test for them in the human population and then how to block the bond from being able to take place."

The reaction in the room was almost explosive. No, thought Stiles, implosive. He could feel the overwhelming incomprehension coming from Derek and the looks on the rest of the pack's faces showed that they were reeling from the same emotion. Laura slumped into the seat next to Max clutching his hand. Derek pressed up against Stiles' back as if trying to merge them into one being. The rest of the betas made a high pitch whine that could just barely be made out but seemed to cut through the air like cold shards of ice.

"Why?" Laura gasped. "Why would you do that?"

"To weaken the bond between humans and werewolves, to create a divide that my family could use to create fear and loathing until the humans were ready to rise up against you and drive you out for good." Chris shook his head and leaned forward, resting his good elbow on the table. "At least that was my grandfather's plan. It all started to change when I was just a boy. My family started to lose control but my father still plotted."

"How?" Stiles had to know and from the shocked silence in the room he didn't think any of the wolves would be asking the important questions anytime soon. "How did you block it?"

Chris didn't look at Stiles but directly at Max. "With a simple blood test we could find the genetic markers for those humans that possessed the ability to bond with the wolves. After that it was easy to devise a serum that would block that ability. The Argents were given control over most of the human run facilities including medical research and it was easy for my grandfather to have his pet scientists discover a blood disorder that required regular shots to keep it under control."

Laura keened and clutched at Max while Derek's grip tightened on Stiles' shoulder until he had to reach back and pry his mate's fingers loose. "That's why you changed my dosage and schedule. Since I was in a relationship with Laura you couldn't take the chance of the serum wearing off and us discovering that we had a bond."

Max looked like he had more to say on the subject but Laura threw herself into his arms, kissing him soundly. "See! I told you I couldn't love you any more than I do. My heart knew you were the one from me even with them blocking the bond. I knew it all along."

Derek cleared his throat putting the romantic intermission on hold. Stiles had a sudden sense of wrongness that curled in his stomach making it clinch and twist. "That was your grandfather's plan. But you said your father kept plotting. What was his plan?"

"Early on in my career I found a better way to read the genetic codes of those humans that had the ability to bond with an alpha. It took me years but in the end I was reasonably sure that I could match the human with an individual family Pack. I thought it could be used to gather more power. Alphas would give up almost anything to find their true mate, even their power over us. But father saw it as a way to destroy the wolves from the inside."

"God," whispered Max. "The children at the orphanage. He was using them as some sort of experiment."

In a flash Stiles remembered the files of all the children, each color coded. The colors matched directly to the predominate colors of major Packs. "Why? Why did Gerard want orphans like me? What was he planning to do?"

"He was creating biological weapons to use against the pack. An alpha won't survive the death of their mate; we learned that with the death of my great aunt so long ago. Gerard planned to mold those children into living bombs just waiting for the right time to explode, taking out the pack leadership at the same time."

Stiles felt sick. His stomach heaved as he staggered to his feet and out the door. He ran blindly down the hallway and out into the lobby ignoring the cries from his mate behind him. He slammed the bond between them shut as he pushed through the doors and past the betas on the street.

The sunlight glinted off the windows of the buildings around him as he spun momentarily deciding on a direction. The sound of his mate's voice in the building had him taking off away from the sunlight that streamed around him, heading deeper into the shadows and away from Derek.

Gerard may have created him to be a weapon but he would be damned if he let that psychopath use him against the man he loved.

AN: I'm back! Did you miss me? I was on vacation in Las Vegas (we won enough to pay for the hotel and a nice show) and then on to California. We went to Yosemite National Park where my BF discovered that I am NOT the hiker that he is but didn't hold it against me. Then we continued down to Anaheim to visit Disneyland and California Adventures for three days. When I got home my BF proposed! (Jumping up in down while writing this). Funny thing - - - he was planning on doing that in Las Vegas but forgot to pack the ring. I'm not letting him live THAT down anytime soon.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	30. Of Woves and Plans

Of Wolves and Plans

Derek slammed his fist into the brick wall of the building, red chips flying backwards to cut his cheek ignored in the sudden emptiness of the bond shut down between them, as Stiles darted into the shadow of an ally.

The beta he turned towards ducked his head in immediate submission, not meeting his eyes and knees quivering with the urge to drop to the ground in front of his alpha. Derek took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, before speaking. "I need you to track him. Keep your distance and don't try to detain him. I just need to know he's safe and has back up if something happens."

He could feel the after images of the shock that Stiles had felt, the sense of betrayal from his own body, the need to just put some space between himself and the wolves before the looks of disgust, that only Stiles though would come his way, were turned on him. "He most likely will calm down and come back on his own." Derek forced that belief to the forefront of his mind and pushed it down the twisted path of his bond hoping that some of it would reach Stiles.

Betas scrambled out of his way as he stormed back to the conference room, throwing the huge mahogany table across the room imbedded it in the far wall before he lifted Chris by the front of his shirt and slammed him into the plaster.

Scott, pack less and omega, snarled as he pressed Allison behind him to protect her from the older wolf's fury but Derek was focused on one thing. "I need you to start from the beginning and explain to me everything that your father has done to Stiles and the rest of the children. Don't leave anything out, not the smallest detail."

Chris clutched at Derek's hands trying to gain more breathing space while his legs scrapped helplessly for purchase against the wall behind him. "I have it all on encrypted files on my computer. Everything that was ever done that I had knowledge of is on those files."

Derek didn't even have to give the order. Ames was out the door calling orders to the nearest betas to get to Chris' office and bring back every piece of computer equipment there. "We need it in one piece," she reminded them as they hurried for the door. "They'll be of no use shattered and broken."

"Derek, you need to let him go." Max tugged gently on his fingers, prying them off Chris' shirt and neck. With a low growl Derek let the doctor drop, landing at his feet in a panting heap, before shifting his glance to Max. Max met his glare with a calm look until Derek stepped back. "Thank you." Derek held off rolling his eyes. Max was always so very polite.

Laura tugged at the table but it had a shattered leg and a large crack down the middle. Shrugging she returned to the group and sat in her abandoned chair. Max gave her a soft smile before returning his attention to Chris. "I think Derek had a good idea. While we wait for the files, why don't you start from the beginning and tell us everything."

Derek listened as Chris' story unfolded, the bile in his stomach churning until it burned at the back of his throat. Gerard hadn't been happy with just being able to block the true mate bond. He didn't want a passive weapon but a violent one that could cause the most damage.

"He started gathering those with the genetic code seven years ago. At first he planned to shape them, make them loyal to the Humans First group and willing to do anything to disrupt werewolf/ human relations. But he found that not all minds are so easily warped."

"The orange tabs. Those are all the children that were mistreated. They were his failures." Max leaned back, his face with tight with tension and Derek could almost smell the pain coming off of him.

"They started off as failures but in the last few months Gerard has become more intense with his plan. He changed the timeline and was pushing to be ready in the next year or so."

"Why?" Isaac looked embarrassed that he had spoken out of turn. Derek nodded at his beta knowing that his concern was because he cared about Stiles' well being too. "Why was he pushing the date forward?"

Chris sighed and looked older, worn and frayed around the edges. "He was diagnosed with cancer. He doesn't have long to live and this plan of his, it's how he sees his way to achieving immortality. When he destroys the hold the wolves have over us, drives you out of our lands, and reduces you down to living like the animals you are, then he believes his name will live on and be spoken of throughout history."

Allison made a choked sound. Derek could hear her heartbeat, an alarming pounding that made him want of comfort her. Scott had once again curled around her, rolling her chair further away from her father and blocking her view of the older man.

"It's not OUR lands," shaking his head Scott corrected himself, "YOUR lands. The wolves were here first. Humans were the ones who came here. The packs offered us a place with them, a chance to live side by side. It was the humans that started the war, we're the invaders."

"It's like I don't even know who you are." Allison's voice was harsh with tears. "I've seen the hate with mother but never you. How could you be a part of this? How could you allow such horrible things to happen?"

Chris reached for his daughter but she pulled away using Scott as a shield. Deflating he responded in a voice so filled with pain that Derek didn't even need to listen to his heartbeat to know he was telling the truth. "I didn't want you raised with all this hate. I knew what it had done to my family; I knew how it warped them and shaped them into people I wanted to hate. I hated myself but it's not something I can change. But Allison, I did everything I could to give you a chance to change it for yourself."

With that statement Derek knew that no matter how much he hated the Argents and despised the role Chris played in everything, that he would do his best to see that he received the lightest sentence possible. He would never trust him, never like him but for what he did for his daughter, the chance he gave her to be a decent person, for that Derek would show mercy.

"So explain the orange tabs. Right now I am most worried about Stiles. Maybe that's wrong of me, but he's my friend and part of my pack." Max turned a little red but kept his eyes firmly on Chris.

"The orange tabs are basically the second wave. They are all the children that were too much of a handful or didn't respect Gerard's authority. They were all to receive implants before they were released from the orphanage. Stiles was slated for surgery right before he ran away. Once they reach majority Gerard has to release them from his control but he still had plans on how to use them."

"So he was never implanted?" At Chris' nod Derek felt his knees go weak.

"They hadn't quite finished the implants. They needed to be untraceable yet able to be triggered to rupture with a specific frequency only. Stiles would have been the first test subject."

"And the other children? The pack coded ones? What were Gerard's plans for them?" Laura had slowly lost the saddened look from earlier. It was replaced with a cold fury that Derek had never seen in his sister.

"They were to be trained. Psychological warfare. Gerard planned to announce he had discovered the secret to finding an alpha's true mate and then match pack with humans. He knew that alphas would throw themselves at the chance of finding a true mate and never question Gerard about where they came from. Once mated to an alpha they would disrupt the pack from inside, causing strife in whatever manner they could."

Chris rubbed his arm; repositioning it in the sling before continuing. "The plan was to use this time of turbulence to increase our Humans First numbers, to syphon off all the resources we would need for the final attack while the pack were too concerned with their own problems to pay attention. Then, when all was ready, Gerard planned to release the information about Stiles' group. Once a good majority of those children were mated up he would…"

Chris didn't finish, just pushed his fists together and released them outward in a pantomime of an explosion.

"And with the death of their mates, the alphas would die as well." Max reached over and pulled Laura's chair closer to his own. Threading their fingers together he seemed to hold on to her as if his life suddenly depended on it.

"His plan isn't finalized yet? I was never implanted and he hasn't mated off any of the others so we have a chance to stop it, to make sure his plan is never put into action." His chest filled with warmth as Derek turned to see Stiles leaning in the doorway. His mate's eyes were reddened and puffy but he had come back ready to face his demons.

"Gerard's been scrambling to find a way to salvage his plan since you mated with Derek. Now that you know about it, I don't think there is anything he could do to continue his plan of attack." Chris actually looked relieved at that idea. A small almost smile graced his lips.

The whole room seemed to sigh in relief. Stiles pressed in closer to Derek and let the wolf slip his arm around him, pulling him closer to his side. The link between them slowly uncurled, opening up and letting Derek feel the embarrassment Stiles felt for running away as well as the courage it took him to come back and face his fears.

"Oh crap!" Stiles whispered but the shock of his thought wrenched through the link like a forest fire. "He's too much of a bastard just to let this all this fall apart for nothing. I don't think he would just let us go." Stiles looked up at Derek with horror in his eyes. "He was ready to kill me rather than let me go. What makes us think he would do anything less to the others?"

The room seemed like ice as everyone reeled at the horror of Stiles' words. "I can give you the location of his safe houses. Places he would hole up while coming up with his next plan of attack." Chris glanced over to where Allison was huddled against Scott's chest and nodded. "I can give you what you need to stop him once in for all."


	31. The Pack Home

The Pack Home

This chapter is a little bit of a break from the pattern. It is from Isaac's POV. I hope this doesn't upset anyone.

From the back of the room where he could see both his alphas and their mates, as well as Chris Venator who he still didn't trust, Isaac watched as they plotted and planned the final downfall of Gerard Argent. Isaac was still stunned at the extent the man was willing to go to destroy the packs. He could even, on some intellectual level, understand the man's hatred but he could never see how someone could be so focused on the destruction of another group that he would be willing to harm and even kill innocent children.

Ames stepped closer, scenting him gently and then snuggling closer into his embrace. Stiles still looked pale, or paler, with too much white showing in his eyes and a small tremor in his hands that let Isaac see just how much he was affected by Chris' revelation. His coming back had taken courage, to both face his fear and also own up to his mistake of running away. Derek's mate had a powerful will.

After getting all the information about Gerard's likely hiding places from Chris, Laura motioned to Boyd and Jackson who stepped forward to lead the three of them, Chris, Alison, and Scott who wouldn't leave their side, to another location where they would be under constant guard.

Isaac nodded toward Chris as he passed by feeling just a hint of respect for the man. It took a strong minded person to be able to turn his back on a lifetime, no generations, of hate and decide that he wanted more for his daughter. He risked everything to give her a chance at a cleaner, better life.

Once they were gone and the door shut behind them, the alphas and their mates huddled their chairs together to plan their next attack. "We've been stuck reacting to his attacks. It's time we were more aggressive in the removal of him as a threat." Laura's voice was harsh and strident; she still hadn't been able to let Max out of her sight and still touched him as if to reassure herself he was still beside her, the fear she suffered by his almost death still evident in her actions.

The group looked slightly ridiculous with the conference table hanging out of the wall as they sat in a rough circle. "We need to think about the rest of the children in the Pack Home before we concentrate all our energy on hunting down Gerard. Is there some way we can help them?" Stiles said, guilt tinting his voice with a pained quiver. Isaac could almost see the young human trying to blame himself for not thinking about the other children during the hell his last week had been.

Isaac found himself stepping forward. "Alphas, I can make some calls and start gathering staff that are able to cope with the children still at the Home." Laura and Derek both smiled their gratitude.

"Thank you Isaac. You have our full backing behind the relocation and treatment of the children. Do whatever you need in order to help them."

"They're going to be afraid of you but give them time. I was afraid at first but as soon as I met an actually werewolf and not one of those turned bullies; I knew I could never be afraid of you again. Be patient."

Isaac nodded before grabbing Ames hand and heading off to make the world a better place for a bunch of children. Neither of the wolves had much experience with children aside from being one but that was quite a few years ago for both of them.

"We could get the children presents, something that would remind them that we werewolves are not so bad." Ames linked her fingers with his and squeezed. Isaac couldn't help but smile down at her; she always made his troubles seem lighter.

The next day broke bright and early. Isaac, even with his healing factor, had the worst headache he had ever felt. Considering he had never had a headache he knew he didn't really have much to compare it too but the pain made his head spin and the light seemed to stab into his brain.

But the children would be receiving help by the end of the day. He and Ames had called all the packs within a day's reach of the Hale territory and asked for help. Their response was immediate and heartfelt. Over twenty packs had already sent help in the form of medical doctors and psychologists as well as financial aid. Hundreds of wolf families had offered to adopt or house the children should any be willing to live with them after being told so many lies over the years.

Laura had stepped in at that point and made sure that all the other packs knew that these were damaged and abused children and that even though they had the potential to be an alpha's true mate they should be kept away from all influence to form a bond until they were of age and cleared by their medical staff.

Isaac could hear the truth in the packs' heartbeats as well as the packs' offended voices as they swore that they wanted what was best for the children only and if that meant they would never bond with an alpha, then so be it. It felt good to know that for every monster like Gerard in the world, there were hundreds of caring people ready to try to fix the wounds he caused.

Handling all the different packs, the doctors, and the staff that watched over the orphans at the pack home had been a drain. Even with Ames' constant help he was barely able to coordinate all the people that were needed to help with the issues at the Pack Home.

Just as he was rolling out of bed, Ames walked through the door bringing her wide smile and breakfast. "I got a call from the nurses at the Pack Home. The first wave of doctors and physiologists has arrived and it looks like good news."

Isaac tore into the stack of waffles as she continued. "It seems that Gerard only started to kick up his plan in the last year so none of them have been conditioned for longer than that. Many of them have been in his training program for less than six months and the doctors say that is cause to be hopeful."

He relaxed for the first time since Laura gave him the job the day before. He had been worried that those children, now his responsibility, would have been broken by Gerard beyond repair.

"Did we get the housing units finalized last night?"

"I just got the confirmation call before I came up here to feed you. There are fifteen homes ready to take in groups of children and their guardians. We are trying to keep age levels and friends together so that they have the support of their peers. I called the head nurse at the Home and they have the children packing as we speak."

"I'm worried that we are moving them too fast." Isaac nibbled on a piece of bacon.

Ames shrugged her shoulders. "I would think that they would be more than ready to get out of there but with all those doctors hovering around them, I think that if there is anything we're doing that would cause them emotional harm they would let us know. Or, scary thought, let Laura know who would then give us disappointed alpha eyes."

"Let's not let that happen." Isaac knew that Laura had more than any one person should have on their plate at one time. Even with Derek heading up the hunt for Gerard Argent, Laura was left with the fallout from all the attacks and dealing with frightened humans as well as the unending tide of reporters that managed to get passed their guards to hound her with questions and demands for answers as to her plans to help rebuild, protect, reassure, or whatever else they wanted her to take care of at that moment.

Knowing that his work at the Pack Home would relieve some tension from his alpha's shoulders, Isaac scarfed down the rest of his breakfast and quickly changed. "Did they get the stuffed animals we wanted?" Isaac called out from under the heavy spray of water. Ames walked in instead of yelling her answer from across the room.

"They had to clean out every toy store in the city but they got what you wanted. Rachel even went to a pet supply store and picked up collars for all of them, in all different colors. I'm sure they are perfect."

Stepping out of the shower, Isaac wrapped a towel loosely around his hips before leaning in for a kiss. "I'm sure they are. But we better hurry."

Ames smacked him on the rear as she left the bathroom. "I'm not the one who was still in bed," she teased. Isaac laughed but hurried to pull on one of his nicer pairs of pants and a dark blue button down before following her.

He felt like an idiot. Across the large cafeteria sat the remaining children, those that had been coded orange, the ones that Gerard didn't think were moldable or trainable. These were the children that had been beaten and abused while Gerard whispered in their ears that nobody, especially the wolves, cared what happened to them.

Isaac had seen red the day that he heard just a fraction of what was done to Stiles in this hellhole and now he was faced with forty-seven of them sitting in long rows around lunchroom type tables, their eyes never leaving him for a second.

Forty-seven, he counted them twice, children. The number was smaller than he had imagined and yet so much bigger. Seeing them all in person, being aware of the space they took up, the way they flinched slightly as his eyes passed over them, and the way their cloths were too loose for their frames made his stomach clinch.

But worse than the fear and obvious malnutrition was the underlying scent of pain that filled his senses. He could smell the bruises and the healing wounds, the heavy calcium scent of bones slowly healing, and the acidic stench of old terror.

Ames sat tucked against him so closely that he could feel the outline of her ribs and the box that he had been so proud of before sat in front of him, the colorful collars mocking him from the interior. He was an idiot to believe that a stuffed animal could heal the damage done to these children. It was like placing a Band-Aid on a shark bite.

One of the care takers, an elderly human with greying hair and laugh lines around her expressive eyes walked over and sat down beside them. "It might help them feel a little better around the two of you if you spoke to them. I took the liberty of ordering enough pizza for the whole group. It will be enough of a novelty to them that it will break the ice but after that it's up to the both of you to make them feel safer in your presence."

Patting him on the shoulder the care taker stood and headed over to a table where a group of older boys sat. They all looked just a little bit younger than Stiles and Isaac's heart seized in anger that, if not for Stiles' stubborn streak and a bit of luck, it could have been him sitting over there with a mix of defiance and fear on his face.

A boy, dusty blond hair with blue eyes that were striking even from across the room, locked his gaze on Isaac as the woman leaned over to speak to him. One eyebrow disappeared into the boy's bangs in a way that reminded Isaac of Derek. With a soft smile the woman ruffled the boy's hair, which he half-heartedly batted away, and went back to her seat in the middle of the room.

The young human sat there, eyeing Isaac and Ames while his friends whispered to themselves. Isaac could have listened in but felt that in order to gain their trust he had to show them that he respected them, including the right to have conversations without his ease-dropping.

The male surged to his feet and strutted across the room. Isaac could smell the unease, hear his heartbeat picking up but outwardly the boy was fearless. Once at the table, he made a big deal out of going through the box of stuffed wolves picking out all the ones with pink and purple collars on them.

"Did you know Stiles?" Ames asked quietly keeping as still as possible so as not to startle the young man.

The young man paused his search through the box to look up, meeting Ames in the eye without flinching. "We were dorm mates. He always watched out for the younger kids, gave them extra food when the rations were tight and always did a little extra so the weaker ones didn't get punished. He was a good guy."

"You know he is with us now? He's the true mate of Alpha Derek Hale. He's the one that helped bring down Gerard Argent and uncovered what was being done here."

The human smiled bitterly. "Uncovered huh? You say that like Old Man Asshole was hiding what was going on in here. All you wolves ever needed to do was actually LOOK at us but no, all you did was get blinded by the show he put on for you, eat a specially prepared meal, and drive away in your fancy cars. If any of you had ever really paid attention, you would have seen what was going on here and Stiles would have never needed to 'uncover' anything."

"You're right. We should have seen what was going on before. I can't change the past but I can try to make today better and I can damn well make sure that your tomorrow gives you ever opportunity you're willing to reach for."

Isaac wanted to hear the blonde's response but the pizza boy showed up and there was a mad rush for the food. At first Isaac was worried that the bigger children would horde all the food and leave the little ones out but was relieved to see the bigger boys and girls passing out slices to the youngest first and waiting until everyone had a slice before taking one of their own.

Seeing the wolves peeking out from under the arms of the smallest children made Isaac smile and start to relax a little. The young human had passed them out as each child had come up for a slice of pizza.

So engrossed in watching the smiling faces of the humans, enjoying the feel of them now that they were getting over their fear of him and Ames, Stiles didn't even notice the approach of a young girl.

She had copper colored hair and pewter colored eyes with a sprinkling of freckles across her nose and cheeks. Tugging on Isaac's sleeve she pulled him downward until they were both eye to eye. "When you turn into a wolf do you still like pizza or do you hunt rabbits?"

Ames made a choked sound as she stifled her laughter. "I don't turn into a wolf. I'm not that kind of werewolf. Only a few of us have that ability, because it's very rare. But even if I could turn into a wolf, I would still eat pizza. I think rabbits are cute and I would never, ever eat one."

It seemed to be the right answer because the red head climbed into his lap, dragging her pizza and her pink collared wolf with her. "I'm Sarah. When I lived with my mom and dad I had a brown rabbit named Brownie. He used to eat carrots and rabbit food that smelled like old grass. Brownie was afraid of werewolves because he thought they would eat him all up during the full moon so I always kept him in my room and closed the curtains so he wouldn't have nightmares."

Isaac was amazed that a human, or anybody, could say so much without taking a single breath. Sarah peeled the cheese off her pizza and ate the bread part by itself. Her fingers and therefore Isaac, the table, and her wolf were covered in red sauce by the time she was done.

Licking her fingers she looked up at Isaac and his heart about melted. He couldn't understand how Gerard could look at this precious girl and think she was something to be rejected but on the other hand, being here was somehow the better of the two choices in this house of horrors.

Sarah slid off his lap and skipped back to the table to rejoin her friends. Slowly as the mountain of pizza was devoured, the box of wolves were taken up by small hands, their fur lovely stroked and petted, noses pressed to their backs while soft voices whispered secrets into their cloth ears.

When there was nothing left but empty pizza boxes and full tummies, Isaac knew it was time to leave. The children no longer huddled as far from him as possible but sprawled out across all the tables including his own.

"Hey, wolf boy." Isaac turned to see the young blonde breaking down pizza boxes and helping the adults throw them away. "You coming back?"

"I can. The pack is trying to find homes for all of you but until then I can visit a few times each week if you would like."

The blonde tilted his head as he thought about that before nodding. "I think the little kids would like that. You guys aren't so scary and it's important to teach the rest of them that Argent was a liar and nothing he said should be believed."

Isaac could taste the pain of that last statement as it hung thick in the air. He could just imagine the terrible things that Gerard had told these children to keep them afraid and helpless under his abuse.

"I can come back Friday. I'll bring a bunch of movies and tons of popcorn. We can have a movie marathon."

"Better bring a TV too." With a wave the blonde headed off. The rest of the orphans soon followed, a few stopping to hug him and Ames as they filed out of the cafeteria. The box of stuffed wolves was mostly empty, just a few last stuffed animals at the bottom. Isaac reached in and pulled out the last three wolves. He handed one to Ames and decided to keep the one with the light blue collar for himself.

The last wolf, with a rich brown collar and a small defect in the stitching around one of his eyes that made him seem to wink, that one he would save for Stiles. He would give it to him when he told him about the smiles on the children's faces and the way that they remembered him, as someone that could be trusted and would offer protection, even after all the time he had been gone.

Isaac hugged Ames close. "They've had a bad start but I swear I'll make their future better."

"I never doubted." Dozens of hands waved from windows as they pulled away. Glancing back in the rear view mirror, Isaac could swear that the air seemed brighter around the Pack Home; as if the very walls knew that there were better days to come.


	32. Cornering Their Prey

Cornering Their Prey

It had taken the pack two days to locate the building the Argents were using as their refuge. The last forty-eight hours had been brutal with little sleep for any of the pack members. Not only did Derek and Laura have to coordinate plans and searches but they had to field questions from the increasingly panicked human population. With the collapse of the Argents power, many unsavory elements of his plans had come to the surface ranging from political manipulation to sinister medical experiments.

The more the press uncovered, the deeper they dug into the Argents financial history, the more they uncovered the multitude of spider thin webs that connected the Argents to almost every aspect of a normal human's day to day life. People were waking up to the fact that many of the limitations that they had suffered under were not of the pack making, but of the Argent family.

The fallout was brutal.

"I guess we aren't going to sneak up on them." Stiles grumbled as another reporter popped up in front of Derek. He had sudden visions of a silly game he played as a child. Little critters would jump out of holes and it was his job to smash them on the head and send them back down in order to score more points. He was seriously considering convincing Derek to play 'whack a reporter'.

"Alpha Hale. How are the packs planning on addressing the issue with the banks? Many institutions are being overrun by people demanding to withdraw all their savings because of the belief that the banks are no longer stable."

Derek's face held the same pleasant, in control look that he had managed to paste on for the last day and a half with the barrage of questions. But Stiles could feel the huff of annoyance through his link.

"All financial institutions are backed by the full support and guarantee of the Unified Packs. We will not allow any of the banks to fail at this important juncture in human/wolf relations. Gerard Argents' family has much to answer for but I will make sure that no innocents are harmed while we bring him to justice and right his wrongs."

The reporter nodded, wide eyed and just a bit heavy on the hero worship as Derek stepped away tugging Stiles in his wake.

"God Derek. You need to wear a freaking cape when you say things like that. I love how you don't even blink while offering to support the possible collapse of all the human run banks but I'm just amazed that you can say something like that without putting your hands on your hips and pushing your chest out or something."

Derek spun to look at Stiles with a single raised eyebrow and a wave of amused disbelief filtering down their bond. "What?" Stiles smirked. "Do werewolves NOT read comics?"

Stiles continued to follow Derek silently down the street. They were in one of the worst parts of town, calling it a slum would be a compliment. In the last few hours the pack had been working on evacuating the inhabitants from the buildings that surrounded a large building that loomed over the area.

Seven stories high and wide enough that it seemed to take up the whole block, the building squatted at the end of the road like a bloated toad. It was faced with dark grey marble with ribbons of chalky white running through it, most likely to give the building some class. It failed miserably. The tendrils of white just made it look like the building had cracks running through it, adding to the rundown appearance of the whole street.

Pack cars had been moved into position around the building offering cover for the wolves that surrounded it. So far all had been quiet but from the tensely held positions of the wolves, Stiles knew that they could tell something was going on inside.

Boyd materialized at Derek's shoulder giving Stiles a small start. For someone so big, the wolf moved with a silent grace that was matched by few others in the pack. "We've managed to get fairly close and there are somewhere between thirty to forty humans in the building. They've barricaded the doors and the whole block is in clear sight of the windows. We've pin pointed at least five rifles on the upper story windows. I don't think there is any doubt that this is their hiding place."

Derek nodded and followed Boyd closer to the building. Stiles started to follow but was quickly waylaid by a couple of betas that forced him into a bullet proof vest and helmet. Catching up with Derek and Boyd with an extra thirty pounds strapped to his body was difficult. He felt like a pregnant duck as he waddled after his mate toward the front line.

"Is this necessary?" Stiles flailed at Derek, upsetting his balance and sending him slowly toppling backwards. Luckily Boyd was behind him to catch him and push him gently upright.

"Most of us will survive a bullet wound. You won't. I'm respecting your need to be here in the middle of all the danger so I'm asking you to please wear the protection so that I know you are as safe as I can make you."

Stiles rolled through his counter arguments in his head but couldn't find anything that could logically win against Derek's request. "It's hot." He whined, which was the best he could come up with as he stood under Derek's worried gaze.

Derek leaned forward and pressed his forehead to the visor of Stiles' helmet. Whatever his mate was planning on whispering to Stiles was interrupted by the first volley of gun fire from the Argent's stronghold. The staccato sound of an automatic weapon sent the pack scrambling for cover behind the vehicles. Derek bodily lifted Stiles off his feet and carried him behind a large van that was parked behind multiple concrete dividers for extra protection. Even then his mate covered Stiles with his body until the sounds of the shots stopped echoing off the surrounding buildings.

With that single shooter letting loose it was as if the flood gates had opened and the bullets poured forth with a riotous noise. Stiles could hear the yelled reports of the betas scattered all over the area as they let each other know they were out of danger but he couldn't see anything but the roll of fur that quickly flowed up Derek's arm as his shifted into his alpha form.

Turning to Boyd, Derek gestured to Stiles with his elongated chin. "Protect him." Stiles was transferred from one set of furry arms to another set of overly muscular arms that made his look like sickly toothpicks.

Derek centered himself with a deep breath, muscles bunching under his fur, his clawed toes gripping the concrete through the remains of his tattered shoes. His howl was deep enough that Stiles could feel the vibrations in his bones. His heart beat once, a heavy thud in the resulting silence, and then the air was filled with the answering howls of the rest of the pack. It went on and on, the multitude of voices merging into one massive howl that rattled the windows on the buildings and made the gravel next to Stiles' hand skitter and shake.

With the howls still echoing, Derek lifted the concrete barrier and charged the building as his pack fell in behind him. Bullets chipped away at the enormous shield, fragments raining down behind the wolves as they ran but they remained unharmed as they closed on the barricaded doors.

The cement barrier made an excellent battering ram and Derek, followed by a swarm of his betas, crashed through the doors and into the first floor of the building. Stiles strained to get a better view but was restrained gently by the older beta.

"Be still Stiles," the beta soothed with a voice suddenly deeper. "Let your mate clear the way before you go rushing in."

"I should be there by his side." Stiles hated the fact that once again he was being kept back, protected and sheltered away from any of the action and not able to help his pack.

"There is no shame in letting those trained for battle protect you. We all have our strengths." Stiles settled with a grumble, listening to the sounds coming from the building. The gun fire paused for a few seconds before returning with double the intensity. A muffled whoosh preceded the blowing out of all the windows on the third floor. Glass and scraps of paper rained down in all directions.

Smoke billowed out all the windows followed by the flicker tongues of flame that licked their ways along the walls, climbing upward as they grew bigger. The pack stumbled out the doors and windows, eyes raised upwards to watch as the fire spread.

And then the screams started.

Stiles curled on the couch with a dark blue blanket wrapped around him and tucked under his nose. The scent of his mate entwined it the soft fibers doing nothing to block the smell of burnt flesh that clung to his nostrils. He had showered twice now and he could still smell it and when he closed his eyes he could hear and see it as well.

Boyd, the huge mountain of a beta that had been his guard not so long ago, laid curled on the other end of the couch. He had been one of the first wolves to turn around and go back into the fire when he heard the cries from the trapped humans. Pulling three Humans First supporters from the building that had gone up in flames with terrifying speed; he had collapsed from the burns that covered his body.

Had he been human, Boyd would have surely been dead three or four times over. His skin had crackled and peeled away from the tissue below but even then Boyd had tried to go back. Stiles had grabbed him, wanting to stop him, only to have the flesh almost melt between his fingers. In the end it was his voice alone, the force of his bond with Derek giving him the power to verbal back down a wolf that towered over him by almost a foot.

Less than a day later his skin had mostly healed but remained reddish and puffy under the wolf's dark ebony skin. Stiles reached over at random intervals to gently run his fingers over the smooth skin of the beta's head, tracing soothing patterns against his flesh. At his touch the giant wolf would settle deeper into sleep, the tension flowing from his shoulders and the creases smoothed from his brow.

The television was on mute but Stiles caught the bright orange and red of the flames as the news showed another clip of the wolves rushing back into a burning building to save the humans who had, moments before, being trying to kill them.

When his mates weary form came on the screen Stiles reached for the remote, fingers brushing it a couple of times before dragging it close enough to scoop off the floor. Boyd woke with the volume and moved closer until he was resting on Stiles' thigh.

"Alpha Hale can you tell us if the body of Gerard and Kate Argent have been recovered from the fire? How did you feel about attempting to rescue a man that has been undermining the Pack for years? Did you hesitate at all before returning to the building?"

Stiles ran a soothing hand along Boyd's shoulder as he growled at the television. "Does she not watch her own news footage? They've only shown the video of Derek leading the charge back inside about fifty times this morning alone." Boyd's response was to snuggle closer to Stiles who draped the bottom half of the blanket over his massive shoulders.

"An alpha's job is to protect those in need. It didn't matter who they were before the building caught fire, they needed my help and I didn't my best to save as many as I could. Unfortunately many of the chemicals they had stored were accelerants and my pack was unable to reach many of them on the upper stories. The coroner is still identifying the bodies and I have not information on that at this time."

Stiles muted as the reporter went on to rehash everything from the day before again, from the gun battle to the wolf's bane smoke bomb that had ignited the fire. A weak tug on his bond had him turning to the door before it even opened. Derek stepped into the room making Stiles feel lighter than he had in the past day. It was amazing how deeply he was starting to feel being separated from Derek.

His mate looked powerful and sexy as hell but he knew that Derek was bone tired and ready to collapse. He motioned Boyd to stay where he was and moved over to press himself behind Stiles, scooping him up until he rested in the alpha's lap.

Stiles was slowly adjusting to the packs need for physical touch. It had taken a quick explanation of werewolf tactile behavior 101 from a panicked Isaac before he understood why Boyd was plastered against him. Boyd had been injured the worst of all the pack and had needed the comfort of touch and having his alpha's mate nearby made the pain more bearable and the healing faster.

"Glad you're back." Stiles sighed as his head rested against Derek's warm shoulder and he interlocked their fingers together over his chest. It was as if the world snapped back into focus for Stiles. All the worry and fear he had felt was tossed away with the presence of his mate. The bond between them flared chasing away the shadows from his mind and soothing all the visions of death away.

Warm air teased the outer shell of his ear before Derek's lips traced its edge. "Thank you for taking care of the pack. I needed to handle the chaos. If you hadn't been here with them I would have been torn between those two responsibilities."

Letting his eyes close Stiles nuzzled closer to Derek. It took watching his love dash back into a burning building to understand that being his equal in the relationship did not mean he had to match his mate step for step. While Derek and the rest of the pack tried to rescue the humans trapped in the building, Stiles found himself in charge of the pack members that stayed outside.

Within moments he was direction betas to start a triage area for the wounded, keep the plague of reporters at by, and make sure there was a pathway cleared for the emergency response vehicles. The wolves jumped to follow his orders immediately, never hesitating for even a second. When the humans arrived to help with the wounded all their questions and requests were filtered through Stiles first.

In the midst of battle he had found his place in the pack.

"Did you find them?" Gerard and Kate had not been among the rescued.

"They have a positive ID on Kate Argent and the coroner is confident that the male we found on the top floor is Gerard. He has the same body type and age but he is running the dental records tomorrow to confirm."

Stiles didn't even feel guilty for the glee he felt at the news. After all they had done, in a long line of the damage that their family had created down the years; there was no one more deserving of a fiery death than Gerard and Kate Argent.

"For a soft little human without any claws, you sure have a blood thirsty streak." Derek chuckled as he kissed the back of his neck.

Stiles arched back at the feeling of warmth, fingers clinching around Derek's. "I'm not so soft now." Derek chuckled sending another wave of warm air down the back of his shirt.

"Oh God," groaned Boyd. "Can you take it upstairs? Or do I have to drag my char-broiled ass to my own room to avoid the trauma?"

Stiles could only laugh as Derek lifted him up and carried him out of the room.


End file.
